Pubdate: Tue, 09 Mar 2004 Source: Bath Chronicle, The (UK) Copyright: 2004 The Bath Chronicle. Contact: http://www.thisisbath.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2700 Note: LTEs must include the writer's full name and address, which will be published unless specified. If referring to a letter or article, please state the date it appeared in the paper. Authors: Emma Cooney, & Tom Bradshaw Cited: Legalise Cannabis Alliance http://www.lca-uk.org Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/cannabis+seeds Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/magic+mushrooms Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/salvia+divinorum Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom) DRUGS SHOP OPENS IN BATH A Controversial drug shop has opened in Bath which exploits legal loopholes to sell cannabis seeds and magic mushrooms. The Appy Daze shop is worrying police - but they are powerless to do anything about it. The store doubles as the headquarters for aspiring politician Chris Jones, who is planning to stand at the next General Election as a candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Alliance in the city. Bob Holland's novelty shop in Walcot Street sells magic mushrooms, cannabis seeds and kits to grow both, along with items such as scales and pipes. Mr Holland says his clients range in age from 18 to 80 and in backgrounds from travellers to lawyers. He said: "We do not sell to kids wearing school uniform and will not sell a strong hallucinogen to someone who has never done it before. If they enjoy the weakest mushrooms then they move up to stronger ones. We do not sell just to make money. We want people to have a good time. "If a 16-year-old has not got a clue, we will throw him out. It is not for me to teach people about drugs and it is not for me to promote them. "We do not advocate anybody going out and breaking the law. The seeds are sold for novelty purposes only." Although it is illegal to buy, grow or sell cannabis, it is not against the law to sell cannabis seeds or the equipment used to grow it. Magic mushrooms, which can be picked in fields throughout the country, can be sold as long as they are fresh and not dried out. The shop sells five types of magic mushrooms, ranging from Mexican to the strongest Hawaiian - the hallucinogenic effects of which can last for ten hours. All are produced in the Netherlands, imported fresh, and sold in 10g or 15g bags. Mr Holland also sells laughing gas, which is sucked in through a balloon and gives a 30-second giggly high, and a plant from the mint family called salvia divinorum, used for its hallucinogenic effects. Mr Holland said the cannabis laws were confusing and backs the campaign to legalise the drug. He would sell the substance if it was made legal. He said: "You can buy drugs as easily as you can buy a newspaper. They are available everywhere and Bath is no different. "Hopefully the Government will come to its senses and realise it has lost the war. "If shops like this sold it, people would know what they were getting and would not be sold cannabis pressed with heroin, which some dealers use to get customers addicted and on to the harder stuff." He added: "Information is the way forward. Let people make an informed choice. I believe no one has the right to tell me what I can or cannot put in my body." Inspector Paul Mogg, of Bath police, confirmed the shop was not breaking any laws. He said: "The sale of these items in an unprepared or uncultivated state is not a criminal offence. We are far from happy with the business in question, but there is no action we can take at present. "We will, however, continue to monitor the situation." One of his colleagues, Sgt Kevan Rowlands, insisted: "The war on drugs is not lost. Cannabis has not been legalised. It has been reclassified as a Class C drug. It remains illegal to grow cannabis plants or to produce cannabis. "The reclassification of cannabis to a Class C drug is an attempt by government to focus our efforts on drugs which cause most harm, such as heroin and crack cocaine. "I would strongly discourage anyone from taking cannabis or magic mushrooms." Inge Shepherd, manager of the community safety and drug action team at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said it was determined to reduce the harm caused to families and communities by drug and alcohol misuse. "We cannot prevent the sale of items which are legal, but it is important that people remember cannabis is still illegal and, for some people, heavy use can cause health problems." A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: "It is difficult to make illegal what can be found in nature, and cannabis seeds can be used for other purposes." Chris Jones, who works as a shop assistant at Appy Daze on Saturdays, said he was looking forward to taking on sitting Bath MP Don Foster at the next election. Mr Jones, 37, said: "I will be campaigning on a single issue, but under the umbrella of that single issue there is a whole manifesto that will benefit Britain agriculturally and industrially." Mr Jones said hemp had a range of applications and could be used as fuel, medicine and for clothing. "It is a very beneficial plant for the UK," he said. "It's about putting these ideas in people's consciousness and making them more aware about hemp." Mr Jones said the alliance hoped to field 120 candidates at the next election. Liberal Democrat Mr Foster, who backed the downgrading of cannabis to a Class C substance so that police could spend more time tackling harder drugs, said: "I welcome anyone who wishes to stand against me and do the job that I currently do and love. In our democracy, there is quite rightly the opportunity for people of quite different views to put themselves forward to represent Bath and the surrounding area. "I hope very much that Mr Jones will nevertheless have a clear position on some of the other vitally important issues affecting people in the constituency, such as health services, transport, crime and the fight against terrorism." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake