POT CAFE FOR SASKATOON A PIPE DREAM

An entrepreneur in Saskatoon has asked the city for permission to set up a
"Dutch-style" cannabis cafe where pot is freely toked.

The letter writer asked Mayor Jim Maddin for first crack at a licence if
the government weeds out the current federal laws prohibiting it.

"There would have to be a lot of laws changed and repealed in Saskatoon
but, hey, maybe we could be the first in the country to have this," Maddin
said Wednesday.

"I'm sure marijuana usage is much more widespread than the average person
might think. And I have no difficulty believing its use is quite common
across a variety of socio-economic strata," he said, then added, "I mean, I
don't know, I'm not part of the crowd."

In Holland, more than 800 licensed cannabis cafes have been set up where
marijuana users can buy and consume small amounts of pot.

Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon announced in December his intention
to introduce legislation in the first four months of 2003 to wipe marijuana
possession off the criminal record books.

Cauchon, 40, believes people caught with less than 30 grams -- about 25 or
30 cigarettes -- should be fined, not criminally charged.

"I guess those recent developments have made this individual think ahead,
to get in on the ground level if it does happen," said Maddin, who wouldn't
reveal the letter writer's identity.

"If this person decides to speak publicly, fair enough, but it's not for me
to release those details."

The letter won't be included in the communications section of the next city
council agenda, either. It was addressed only to Maddin, not to council. It
crossed his desk Tuesday and he passed on copies to the development
services branch and the city solicitor for information.

"If the current legal situation stays the same and doesn't permit any of
this, I'm sure they'll correspond that back to the individual," said
Maddin. "When a letter comes in, it's a formal document and we have to deal
with it that way."

"All it can be is an inquiry because there's no such thing as a licence for
a cannabis cafe right now," Maddin added. "The city isn't going to license
illegal activity, that's for sure. But it's interesting, I'll say that."

If federal laws were to change, there would also need to be an examination
of municipal bylaws before any go-ahead was given.

"Would it fall within the parameters of the smoking bylaw?" said Maddin.
"There's all kinds of issues here."

Maddin said it is unlikely he'd ever attend the cafe, should one open.

"Are you kidding? It took me a long enough time to figure out what a chat
cafe was," he said. "I have no idea what I'd do at a cannabis cafe. How
does that work? Is there a menu with 101 ways to serve cannabis? I don't know."

A Toronto lawyer revealed this week that he will ask a judge on Friday to
toss out his client's pot possession charge. If the Toronto judge accepts
the argument, other judges in the city will likely follow suit, said lawyer
Aaron Harnett.