Bid for cannabis club ‘is set for High Court’
BUSINESSMAN GIVES WARNING TO GOVERNMENT AS HE APPLIES TO OPEN VENUE IN CITY
A BUSINESSMAN has vowed to take the Home Secretary to court as he fights to create a ‘cannabis club’ in Manchester.
Mike Dobson says his club would licence members so they can vape cannabis in private - if he is given the go ahead by Sajid Javid.
His initial application for a licence to possess cannabis has not yet been considered but Mike plans to take his case to a judicial review if necessary.
“We have the constitutional right to apply for that licence under Section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act,” he says.
“There’s no difference to having a licence for driving or owning a firearm. For the Home Office to refuse even considering a licence is unconstitutional. The cannabis market at the moment needs government regulation.”
Mike - who has served two short sentences at HMP Preston for cannabis cultivation - wants his members to have the right to possess cannabis under licence.
Mike was initially told that there were no circumstances under which the Home Secretary would consider issuing a cannabis licence. But he has become more hopeful after two boys with epilepsy were granted special licences by the Home Office to access cannabis oil.
Mike has now ‘put Mr Javid on notice’ and will apply to the High Court for an order asking the Home Secretary to deal with the application in accordance with the law.
He believes cannabis in the UK should be regulated and says his plans for a ‘cannabis club’ in both Preston and Manchester would provide an environment in which use of the drug could be regulated.
It would allow people to use cannabis within strict stipulations under the club licence. Members would only be allowed to vape the drug, without tobacco and only in private premises. They would not have the right to grow the drug.
Mike would eventually like to open a private members club at a venue in Manchester for the recreational use of cannabis in a secure setting. “The benefits of cannabis use is a very personal thing and as a club we don’t have a position on this,” he added. “We only have a legal argument.” The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases but stated that legislation on illegal drugs is clear.
“The trade and possession of recreational cannabis is illegal in the UK, regardless of where you use it,” a Home Office spokesperson said. “Scientific and medical evidence is clear it can cause harm to individuals and society.
“The Government has no plans to decriminalise recreational cannabis.”
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Mike Dobson