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Plans are being drawn up to launch cannabis clubs in Guernsey, where people can use prescriptions in a secure social setting.
Cannabis clubs have started popping up all over Europe, giving members a place to legally buy and use either prescribed cannabis or legally bought recreational cannabis.
Rules and regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but the defining factor is that clubs usually have a strict membership, distinguishing them from the kind of cafes popular in Amsterdam.
It’s an important distinction to make, according to Deputy Marc Leadbeater, who says that one of the more common concerns raised when politicians discuss any legal route to cannabis is the fear of the streets of St Peter Port being filled with cannabis smoke.
“The way [legalisation] is going initially is cannabis clubs,” he told Express.
“Nobody in the modern day wants to see people outside coffee shops in the middle of town [smoking].”
Pictured: Deputy Marc Leadbeater.
He said countries like Germany and the Czech Republic will soon be rolling out adult use policies for cannabis and their approaches won’t be the same as Amsterdam, which is in fact changing its approach to cannabis too.
“It's a modern-day approach to cannabis,” he said.
“Cannabis clubs are becoming popular because it's for private members. I think I can see cannabis clubs being established [here] and medicinal cannabis clubs can be established in Guernsey now.
Pictured: “It's a modern-day approach to cannabis”
“I know that somebody's looking at this. It would surprise me if this time next year we don’t have our first Medicinal Cannabis Club, and that will just be for prescription holders to go and use their own prescription in a safe environment.”
Deputy Leadbeater said, while the stigma around cannabis is slowly starting to fall away, there still remains a hypocrisy in society between cannabis and alcohol use. Most recently, people with medicinal cannabis prescriptions were stopped from bringing the drug into the Guernsey Together Festival.
"But an 18-year-old could go and buy as many shots as they want. It's completely barmy.”
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