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UNITED STATES: First cannabis café opens
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CANNABIS: Thousands are registered to use drug for medicinal purposes
THE FIRST marijuana café in the United States has opened in Portland, Oregon.
News agency Reuters said the establishment, called the Cannabis Café, is being seen as an early test of US president Barack Obama’s administration's decision to relax policing of medical use of the drug.
For US$25 per month, certified medical marijuana users will be able to access the drug and smoke it in the café, as long as it is not where the public can see them, Reuters said.
Madeline Martinez, Oregon's executive director of NORML, a group campaigning for marijuana to become legal, told Reuters: "This club represents personal freedom, finally, for our members."
She added that NORML hopes to have classes, seminars and “even a Cannabis Community College, based here to help people learn about growing and other uses for cannabis.”
An estimated 21,000 people, with conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Tourette’s syndrome, are reportedly registered to use marijuana for medical purposes in Oregon.
Shop owner Eric Solomon told Reuters he is hoping to have Cannabis themed weddings, film festivals and other events at the café, which also serves food.
Published: 23 November 2009
Issue: 1399
