Colin Davies, 44, opened the Dutch Experience cafe in Stockport in September 2001 as Britain’s first Amsterdam-style cannabis cafe, saying it served seriously ill people who used cannabis for conditions such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis.[1][2] Police raided it within minutes of opening and arrested Davies after he smoked a joint, and officers kept raiding the premises in the months that followed.[1][2][3]
Customs officers seized cannabis worth £18,000 at Dover and 430 ready-made joints sent to addresses linked to Davies, and prosecutors said £3,000 in cash found at his flat came from drug sales.[1]
On 20 November 2001 police raided the cafe again; Davies was arrested while being interviewed by a BBC television crew, nine other people in the cafe were cautioned, and Phillip Rainford and Stephen Caveney were charged over permitting the premises to be used and offering to supply.[4] At a remand hearing on 23 November, prosecutors said a kilo of cannabis had been seized being weighed for resale with scales and £10 bags worth up to £3,000, and that Davies faced importation charges including a kilo of resin hidden in a video-cassette box seized by customs officers.[5] Davies was remanded in custody until 29 November while three co-accused were released on conditional bail.[5] A Manchester jury found him guilty on eight charges covering possession with intent to supply, supply and importation of cannabis, and perjury.[1][2]
Sentence and same-day raid
On 3 October 2002 a Manchester judge sentenced Davies to three years in prison, saying he had persistently flouted the law.[1][2] His defence had asked for immediate release because he had already spent nine months in jail, but the judge refused.[1] His lawyer said the episode began out of Davies’s genuine belief that it was appropriate to help others in difficult circumstances with their medical conditions.[1]
Hours after the sentencing, Greater Manchester Police raided the Dutch Experience cafe again.[1]
