Vancouver's Amsterdam Cafe Raided

At just after Noon on May 15, the Amersterdam Cafe was raided by police. Police seized pipes, bongs and seeds from the cafe, but they left books, magazines and hemp clothes. The store was occupied for about two and a half hours, after authorities took the names of some employees and patrons.

Police were a lot better mannered than usual. Books, magazines and hemp clothes are often illegally seized by police during raids of hemp stores. At the request of Karen Watson, store owner, the police gently removed merchandise.

"They were very well behaved," said Watson, "The police didn't want to be here. One guy said he used to smoke pot and that he was only doing his job."

The raid on the Amsterdam follows a pattern evidenced at Hemp BC and the Cannabis Café. Just like raids on the two latter stores, the raid on the Amsterdam occured after major media coverage by American television. The Amsterdam had just recently been featured on Hardcopy and King 5. It seems obvious that pressure from American authorities precipitates a most police action against hemp stores in Canada.

"I'm not mad at the police. They're just doing their job. I'm mad at the people who tell the police what to do," Watson said.

The search warrant cited 462.2 of the criminal code, which makes it illegal to promote or sell items for "illicit drug use." Although police did not lay charges at the time of the raid, they promised to return to do so at a later time.

Karen Watson of the Amsterdam can be reached at (604) 683-7200.