CANNABIS CAFE

With Home Secretary David Blunkett expected to approve the recommendation from a House of Commons select committee report that cannabis be reclassified from a Class B to a Class C drug, Scotland's first cannabis café could be set to open in Edinburgh within weeks, according to the man behind the venture.

Kevin Williamson, founder of publishing firm Rebel Inc. and drugs spokesman for the Scottish Socialist Party, believes that the reclassification will literally open the door for his Amsterdam-style "Coffee Shop" to start trading.

His reasoning is that if possession of cannabis is no longer an arrestable offence, as would be the case, then there's really nothing stopping him.

Premises have already been earmarked and staff, not surprisingly, are already queuing up to join the enterprise.

FirstFoot somehow doubts it will be that easy for him, however.

Possession will still be classed as an offence, albeit a minor one and on a par with say, speeding (vehicles, not amphetamines!). Dealing, whether over or under the counter, will continue to be illegal.

Mr Williamson has publicly stated that he is willing to risk going to jail by opening the cafe.

He had better be. Don't go booking any holidays, Kevin old son.

Whilst we applaud his stance and commitment to challenging this country's hypocritical and unjust cannabis laws, and his attempt to legitimise and take the drug out of the black-market, we feel that, at this stage anyway, this seems sure to be the one joint that gets Mr Williamson put away.

Watch this space.