DRUGS SHOP OPENS IN BATH

A Controversial drug shop has opened in Bath which exploits legal
loopholes to sell cannabis seeds and magic mushrooms.

The Appy Daze shop is worrying police - but they are powerless to do
anything about it.

The store doubles as the headquarters for aspiring politician Chris
Jones, who is planning to stand at the next General Election as a
candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Alliance in the city.

Bob Holland's novelty shop in Walcot Street sells magic mushrooms,
cannabis seeds and kits to grow both, along with items such as scales
and pipes.

Mr Holland says his clients range in age from 18 to 80 and in
backgrounds from travellers to lawyers.

He said: "We do not sell to kids wearing school uniform and will not
sell a strong hallucinogen to someone who has never done it before. If
they enjoy the weakest mushrooms then they move up to stronger ones.
We do not sell just to make money. We want people to have a good time.

"If a 16-year-old has not got a clue, we will throw him out. It is not
for me to teach people about drugs and it is not for me to promote
them.

"We do not advocate anybody going out and breaking the law. The seeds
are sold for novelty purposes only."

Although it is illegal to buy, grow or sell cannabis, it is not
against the law to sell cannabis seeds or the equipment used to grow
it.

Magic mushrooms, which can be picked in fields throughout the country,
can be sold as long as they are fresh and not dried out. The shop
sells five types of magic mushrooms, ranging from Mexican to the
strongest Hawaiian - the hallucinogenic effects of which can last for
ten hours.

All are produced in the Netherlands, imported fresh, and sold in 10g
or 15g bags.

Mr Holland also sells laughing gas, which is sucked in through a
balloon and gives a 30-second giggly high, and a plant from the mint
family called salvia divinorum, used for its hallucinogenic effects.

Mr Holland said the cannabis laws were confusing and backs the
campaign to legalise the drug. He would sell the substance if it was
made legal.

He said: "You can buy drugs as easily as you can buy a newspaper. They
are available everywhere and Bath is no different.

"Hopefully the Government will come to its senses and realise it has
lost the war.

"If shops like this sold it, people would know what they were getting
and would not be sold cannabis pressed with heroin, which some dealers
use to get customers addicted and on to the harder stuff."

He added: "Information is the way forward. Let people make an informed
choice. I believe no one has the right to tell me what I can or cannot
put in my body."

Inspector Paul Mogg, of Bath police, confirmed the shop was not
breaking any laws.

He said: "The sale of these items in an unprepared or uncultivated
state is not a criminal offence. We are far from happy with the
business in question, but there is no action we can take at present.

"We will, however, continue to monitor the situation."

One of his colleagues, Sgt Kevan Rowlands, insisted: "The war on drugs
is not lost. Cannabis has not been legalised. It has been reclassified
as a Class C drug. It remains illegal to grow cannabis plants or to
produce cannabis.

"The reclassification of cannabis to a Class C drug is an attempt by
government to focus our efforts on drugs which cause most harm, such
as heroin and crack cocaine.

"I would strongly discourage anyone from taking cannabis or magic
mushrooms."

Inge Shepherd, manager of the community safety and drug action team at
Bath and North East Somerset Council, said it was determined to reduce
the harm caused to families and communities by drug and alcohol misuse.

"We cannot prevent the sale of items which are legal, but it is
important that people remember cannabis is still illegal and, for some
people, heavy use can cause health problems."

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: "It is difficult to make
illegal what can be found in nature, and cannabis seeds can be used
for other purposes."

Chris Jones, who works as a shop assistant at Appy Daze on Saturdays,
said he was looking forward to taking on sitting Bath MP Don Foster at
the next election.

Mr Jones, 37, said: "I will be campaigning on a single issue, but
under the umbrella of that single issue there is a whole manifesto
that will benefit Britain agriculturally and industrially."

Mr Jones said hemp had a range of applications and could be used as
fuel, medicine and for clothing.

"It is a very beneficial plant for the UK," he said. "It's about
putting these ideas in people's consciousness and making them more
aware about hemp."

Mr Jones said the alliance hoped to field 120 candidates at the next
election.

Liberal Democrat Mr Foster, who backed the downgrading of cannabis to
a Class C substance so that police could spend more time tackling
harder drugs, said: "I welcome anyone who wishes to stand against me
and do the job that I currently do and love. In our democracy, there
is quite rightly the opportunity for people of quite different views
to put themselves forward to represent Bath and the surrounding area.

"I hope very much that Mr Jones will nevertheless have a clear
position on some of the other vitally important issues affecting
people in the constituency, such as health services, transport, crime
and the fight against terrorism."