Quote :

"First U.S. marijuana cafe opens in Portland Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:51pm EST By Dan Cook PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - The United States' first marijuana cafe opened on Friday, posing an early test of the Obama administration's move to relax policing of medical use of the drug. The Cannabis Cafe in Portland, Oregon, is the first to give certified medical marijuana users a place to get hold of the drug and smoke it -- as long as they are out of public view -- despite a federal ban. "This club represents personal freedom, finally, for our members," said Madeline Martinez, Oregon's executive director of NORML, a group pushing for marijuana legalization. "Our plans go beyond serving food and marijuana," said Martinez. "We hope to have classes, seminars, even a Cannabis Community College, based here to help people learn about growing and other uses for cannabis." The cafe -- in a two-story building which formerly housed a speak-easy and adult erotic club Rumpspankers -- is technically a private club, but is open to any Oregon residents who are NORML members and hold an official medical marijuana card. Members pay $25 per month to use the 100-person capacity cafe. They don't buy marijuana, but get it free over the counter from "budtenders". Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it serves food but has no liquor license. There are about 21,000 patients registered to use marijuana for medical purposes in Oregon. Doctors have prescribed marijuana for a host of illnesses, including Alzheimer's, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Tourette's syndrome. On opening day, reporters invited to the cafe could smell, but were not allowed to see, people smoking marijuana. "I still run a coffee shop and events venue, just like I did before we converted it to the Cannabis Cafe, but now it will be cannabis-themed," said Eric Solomon, the owner of the cafe, who is looking forward to holding marijuana-themed weddings, film festivals and dances in the second-floor ballroom. NO PROSECUTION The creation of the cafe comes almost a month after the Obama administration told federal attorneys not to prosecute patients who use marijuana for medical reasons or dispensaries in states which have legalized them. About a dozen states, including Oregon, followed California's 1996 move to adopt medical marijuana laws, allowing the drug to be cultivated and sold for medical use. A similar number have pending legislation or ballot measures planned. Pot cafes, known as "coffee shops", are popular in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal. Portland's Cannabis Cafe is the first of its kind to open in the United States, according to NORML. Growing, possessing, distributing and smoking marijuana are still illegal under U.S. federal law, which makes no distinction between medical and recreational use. Federal and local law enforcement agencies did not return phone calls from Reuters on Friday seeking comment on the Portland cafe's operations. "To have a place that is this open about its activities, where people can come together and smoke -- I say that's pretty amazing." said Tim Pate, a longtime NORML member, at the cafe. Some locals are hoping it might even be good for business. "I know some neighbors are pretty negative about this place opening up," said David Bell, who works at a boutique that shares space with the cafe. "But I'm withholding judgment. There's no precedent for it. We don't know what to expect. But it would great if it brought some customers into our store.""

11/14/2009 1:50:22 AM

high people come eat here

11/14/2009 2:01:01 AM

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"The Cannabis Cafe"

11/14/2009 2:58:49 AM

bout damn time

now the rest of the country can follow some sensibility

11/14/2009 4:14:13 AM

hahaha, I choked on my beer at "adult erotic club Rumpspankers."

11/14/2009 5:29:32 AM

I CAN'T GO WITHOUT MUH POT. PUHLEASE LET ME SMOKE MUH POT.

11/14/2009 5:53:37 AM

MUH POT. NEED MORE POT. NEED POT CAFE. MUST.... HAVE.... POT....

11/14/2009 6:30:16 AM

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"Cannabis Community College"

haha

11/14/2009 9:03:29 AM

about fucking time

11/14/2009 9:47:37 AM

Time to go back and visit muh friends in Portland!

11/14/2009 10:03:44 AM

Quote :

"Rumpspankers"

11/14/2009 10:15:07 AM

pot is fucking cool beans

11/14/2009 11:29:23 AM

I know the House saw a medical mj bill this year pr last year sometime but I don't know what they did with it here in NC

[Edited on November 14, 2009 at 11:38 AM. Reason : ]

11/14/2009 11:33:27 AM

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"pot is fucking cool beans"

yup

11/14/2009 11:33:54 AM

i hate pot.

but i am happy to hear this

11/14/2009 11:34:29 AM

the bill put forth in NC said these are some things that would qualify you to get medical marijuana

Quote :

"cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, mental illness, Hepatitis C, or the treatment of these conditions"

looks like bipolar disorder is going to get me somewhere afterall

11/14/2009 11:38:20 AM

next time you have a low send me nudes

11/14/2009 12:03:06 PM

How would pot help you if you have hiv?

11/14/2009 12:47:13 PM

it takes the gay away so you dont spread it duh

11/14/2009 1:28:59 PM

glad I dont live near there, there are going to be so many unsafe high drivers

11/14/2009 1:54:04 PM

high drivers are at least slow and preferable to drunk drivers


rumpspankers FTW

11/14/2009 2:03:02 PM

twas a joke...


and yes, that does win

11/14/2009 2:06:29 PM

the last time I heard the federal government believes (and their belief is nearly all the matters...) that they trump all states when it comes to drug policy

so... these people are begging for a smack down

[Edited on November 14, 2009 at 2:31 PM. Reason : .]

11/14/2009 2:31:03 PM

^well last that i heard obama announced that he was loosening the regulations on medical marijuana as long as people are following their state laws.

maybe you should hear more often...

But then again it was also in the first sentence of the posted news story so read the thread next time....

11/14/2009 2:45:08 PM

There's supposed to be some part of Oakland, CA filled with pot shops or something like that

11/14/2009 4:38:11 PM

tax revenue from pot? SWEET!

11/14/2009 4:38:38 PM

[Edited on July 24, 2010 at 2:13 PM. Reason : ..]

7/24/2010 2:13:01 PM

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"How would pot help you if you have hiv?"

Pretty much the same way it helps with cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: It gives pain relief and bolsters your appetite so you don't waste away so badly.

The stuff's not my cup of tea but I'd be quite happy to see them go ahead and just legalize the damn thing.

7/24/2010 2:16:17 PM

Quote :

"hahaha, I choked on my beer at "adult erotic club Rumpspankers.""

Quote :

"5:29:32 AM"

7/24/2010 2:20:06 PM

please repost when it's VA

7/24/2010 2:23:51 PM

Quote :

" Members pay $25 per month to use the 100-person capacity cafe. They don't buy marijuana, but get it free over the counter from "budtenders". Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it serves food but has no liquor license. "

$25 a month for what appears to be all you can smoke weed?

[Edited on July 24, 2010 at 2:36 PM. Reason : Maybe the food is really expensive, and they have a munchies fueled revenue stream]

7/24/2010 2:33:35 PM

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"Pot cafes, known as "coffee shops", are popular in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal. "

No fucking kidding.

[Edited on July 24, 2010 at 2:41 PM. Reason : them shits are EVERYWHERE]

7/24/2010 2:40:51 PM

This is a smart move. They'll get tons of criticism, but will be viewed positively in the history books.
Basically, legal pot is inevitable, so why not get out in front of it?

7/24/2010 4:39:36 PM

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"it takes the gay away so you dont spread it duh"

Don't you remember back in the time when Reefer Madness and movies like it came out? Smoking the Reefer makes young men gay serial killers and makes our white women fornicate with black men

7/24/2010 4:48:09 PM