CAFE OWNER PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO DRUGS CHARGE

THE man behind Scotland's first cannabis cafe yesterday pleaded not guilty
to a charge of allowing customers to smoke the drug on the day it opened.

Paul Stewart, who runs the Purple Haze cafe in Leith, was raided by police
on 29 January - the first night of his "private members' club" and the day
when cannabis was downgraded from a class B drug to class C.

He was arrested along with two other people, who were charged with
possession of cannabis after allegedly using the drug on the premises, but
the Crown Office has decided not to press charges against them.

Stewart, 37, who lives in Leith, said he received e-mails of support from
across the world when he opened the cannabis cafe at Purple Haze, a former
'greasy spoon' turned internet cafe.

A not guilty plea was entered on Stewart's behalf at yesterday's hearing at
Edinburgh Sheriff Court and the case was adjourned for trial on 28 July. If
found guilty, he could be jailed for up to three months or fined a maximum
of UKP2,500.

Stewart said: "Obviously I don't want to say too much. They'll just have to
prove I knew people were smoking cannabis. People were told not to use
cannabis when they came in. The good thing about Scotland is the 'not
proven ' verdict so obviously I'll be trying to go for that."

He added that he thought it was odd he was being prosecuted for allegedly
allowing people to smoke cannabis on his premises when the smokers were not
being taken to court.

"You would think if they were going to charge me with knowingly allowing
people to smoke cannabis, surely they would have to convict someone of
smoking cannabis," Stewart said. "If the police have made any mistake in
their procedures as well, the lawyer would have to look at that."

Stewart added he was planning a new business venture this summer called
Purple Paul's World Tour of Scotland, which will begin at the cafe before
heading up the Highlands.

"It's a five-day adventure tour with white water rafting, a high ropes
course, going up the Cairngorms, a sea life tour to spot whales and
dolphins off John O'Groats, going for walks and staying in a bothy.

"We're having a midnight beach party at a secret location in the Highlands.
It's a magical mystery tour and you won't know where until you get there.

Aamer Anwar, Stewart's lawyer, said: "It is bizarre that on the day
something is being reclassified that Lothian and Borders Police didn't have
better things to do. A time will come when individuals like Mr Stewart will
not be brought before the court."

A spokesman for the Crown Office confirmed the other people arrested at the
opening of the cannabis cafe part of the Purple Haze business were not
being prosecuted.

He said: "The Crown has decided to take no proceedings against those two
individuals so they will not be appearing alongside Paul Stewart."

Alistair Ramsay, of Scotland Against Drugs, said anyone found guilty of
deliberately flouting the law by running a cannabis cafe should receive an
effective punishment and possibly be jailed.

"If someone is found guilty of allowing cannabis to be smoked on their
premises, I do hope when sentenced it would not just a finger-wagging
exercise," he said. "I would hope there would be a penalty attached,
community service or something that reflects the crime because the law has
been broken."