cannabisnews.com: Suffer from Achy Joints? Suffer from Achy Joints? Posted by CN Staff on October 26, 2003 at 08:09:45 PT By Ron Caldwell, Special To The Sunday Herald Source: Halifax Herald Saint John, N.B. - Like any small-business owner, Jim Wood has dreams of becoming a big-time entrepreneur. "I can see us becoming a major tourist draw for Saint John," he said in a recent interview. "We could fill every hotel in the city with medicinal marijuana users." Mr. Wood, 34, and his wife, Lynn, 30, operate the Hemp NB Cannabis Café on Canterbury Street. "We cater to everyone in the marijuana culture," Mr. Wood says. "If someone is smoking pot recreationally, that's fine with us. If someone needs medical marijuana, we can help there as well." It's not unusual for customers to be waiting at the door when the Woods arrive for the noon start of their business day. Customers are welcome to bring their own stash and smoke a joint as long as they buy a coffee or pop at $2 each. They can relax on the couch or play a game of chess by the front window to pass the time. Or they can browse through the shop's display of smoking accessories - pipes and cigarette papers, among other items - that are for sale. The presence of a community police station right across the street might be seen as a deterrent to someone in the marijuana business. Mr. Wood just shrugs it off. "This is the location we found, and they just happen to be close by," he said. "Sometimes they park their cruiser right outside our door and people take pictures. It's a great photo opportunity." While an easy truce exists between the shop owners and the police next door, it hasn't always been that way. Police twice laid charges after raids at their old location on King Street last May. "They charged an AIDS patient and his helper with possession, and three girls who were sharing a joint were charged with trafficking," Mr. Wood said. The cases are in the hands of the Crown's office in Fredericton but have not been brought to court. That doesn't mean police are turning a blind eye to the goings-on at the Cannabis Café. "If he is selling cannabis, he will be charged with trafficking," said Sgt. Pat Bonner of the Saint John police. But Mr. Wood isn't worried about run-ins with the police. "If people bring their own pot here to smoke, that's legal," he said. "I'm not breaking any laws by allowing people to get high in my store." Even though he recently started selling marijuana for medicinal purposes, Mr. Wood doesn't expect problems. The federal government is moving toward legalizing marijuana for medical use, so "to charge me with doing the same thing would be hypocritical," he said. To obtain marijuana at the Cannabis Café for a medical condition, a customer must present a doctor's certificate or a sworn affidavit signed by a notary public that the drug is required to alleviate any number of medical problems. There are more than 300 ailments on the list at the shop, from cancer and arthritis to smoking dependency and dandruff, so it would be difficult not to have a medical problem that marijuana would help. Once the paperwork is cleared, customers can order from the daily specials on the chalkboard behind the counter. New Brunswick Outdoor, Monster Bud or Purple Poison can be purchased for as little as $10 a gram. One gram could be good for up to five treatments, depending on the patient's condition. "You can smoke it here or take it home," Mr. Wood said. Members also get an ID number and a password for security purposes. With medical marijuana for sale across the counter, the Cannabis Café owners expect business to boom. "I see a huge market from the United States, both as a tourist attraction, and from people seeking medical treatment," Mr. Wood said. On days when the big cruise ships are in port, its not unusual for more than 200 people to stop by the shop, so word is getting out on the street to a lot of potential customers. The Cannabis Café Web site will soon be posting membership applications online to allow people to become members via the Internet. "That way, when they come to town, all the paperwork is done. They can just walk in, make their purchase, and light up," Mr. Wood said. There is one strict rule at the Cannabis Café, however. Cigarette smoking is not allowed. "Cigarette smoke hangs in their air too long," Lynn Wood said. "Pot doesn't linger like tobacco smoke does." Note: Come to the Saint John cannabis cafe and light up.Source: Halifax Herald (CN NS)Author: Ron Caldwell, Special To The Sunday HeraldPublished: Sunday, October 26, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Halifax Herald LimitedContact: letters herald.ns.caWebsite: http://www.herald.ns.ca/Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmCafe To Offer Over The Counter Sale of Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17385.shtmlCafe Lets Customers Smoke Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15862.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Mark Tide on October 27, 2003 at 08:40:27 PT: now i see them howdy FoM,Well, now I see those postings. Thanks a lot for that.To keep article chronology intact, it looks good. But I fear no one really saw them way back there on the scroll, which is too bad since so much useful information is contained in them.Dr. Mikuriya sent me a note recently, congratulating me on the Arcata Journal story on him and the Medical Board, saying that it was one of the best in print.It was my hope that those stories on SB420 would have the same benefit for understanding the difficult issues.If you have any ideas to promote dissemination of the material to interested persons, please act on them.Thanks and Best Wishes, Mark Tide Arcata Journal Arcata Journal [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 26, 2003 at 10:34:13 PT Article About Injection Sites Experts Debate Injection Site for Addicts: http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031026/API/310260666&cachetime=5 [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by jose melendez on October 26, 2003 at 10:18:46 PT Make a difference: Write on. check out another letter to editor, from:http://www.oregonlive.com/letters/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/106708334139070.xmlLetters: 10/25/03 Once again the Drug Enforcement Administration is trampling on the rights of medical marijuana patients . . . (snip)If marijuana is such a "threat," perhaps the feds could state how many people have died from simply smoking marijuana and why, unlike alcohol and cigarette consumers, marijuana users are punished. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 26, 2003 at 08:46:19 PT Mark I Posted Them http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17639.shtmlhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17637.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Mark Tide on October 26, 2003 at 08:32:10 PT: i'm confused, & please post stories howdy FoM,i'm pretty confused, since someone claiming to be you sent me an email with instructions about forwarding the story and opinion column that i've been trying to get posted for a week.that occurred after i posted a note on the site, informing you that these items were now published. remember, i posted an early draft of the opinion column last week, and you left a note thanking me.these are rather important items, about SB420.the news story is at the top of the scroll, and the opinion column is at the top of the opinion index, at Arcata Journal (www.arcata.org). please post them up on your scroll at cannabisnews.thanks and best wishes, mark tide Arcata Journal [ Post Comment ] Post Comment