Cannabis centre opens

LOUISE JURY

The House of Hemp was not entirely sure who alerted them, but it was just hours before its official opening that the inspector and chief inspector from Bethnal Green police station chose to call.

The house is to be home to the Cannabis Hemp Information Club (CHIC) whose members are all keen advocates of the lesser-known qualities of Cannabis sativa. Its opening had obviously prompted alarm at the local station

Those behind the centre say that while innocent hemp - grown in Britain under licence and used for paper-making and textiles - was the same plant as illegal cannabis, the typical hemp seed possessed only a fraction of THC, the "active ingredient" which produces the "high" prohibited by law.

The officers were clearly aware of the difference. Spotting nothing resembling an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act they departed, leaving untouched the chocolate cake flavoured with the nutty taste of hemp seed and other hemp-enhanced goodies.

Thus the formal opening of the information centre and museum in Shoreditch, dedicated to public education, was able to go ahead. The Home Secretary may be invited.