Hemp Bar closure

[grace]

Sorry brick50 but I just don't agree. Living in the closet is a choice, yes, but you can choose to come out. I've openly talked about my cannabis use to my family, friends, co-workers, employers, the public... for many years now. Nothing but good has come of it.

 

 

 

Just how do we convince them from inside the closet? The only way the public will realise that we are not dropout deadbeats is if we are open about our use of cannabis and demonstrate that we are good, otherwise law abiding members of society. We need to break these stereotypes by example. Your scenario is a catch 22, and this is exactly what the prohibitionists want - we are stygmatised, ridiculed, ignored, rejected... and we have no voice politically or legislatively.

 

 

 

They rarely are from what I'm told - they spend 99% of their time outside of the town dealing with callouts, Nimbin isn't a policing priority. I don't know if they're making a regular appearance at the pub's closing time yet, but that's about the only time they're needed apparently. The locals say that once the Police have been there a while they realise that the majority of the town's residents, and cannabis users in particular, are not a problem and they loosen up significantly. The misconceptions are coming from the Media and their non-local superiors - exactly the problem above of perception and stereotypes.

 

I used to think that we could do this politically - I no longer do, not in this climate. What I believe we need to change is popular opinion and widespread experience of cannabis and cannabis users. That's a generational change and it's well underway, but we need to push harder if we want to see change in our lifetime and leave a positive legacy for our children and our community.

 

Blah blah, I'm ranting again pipeman

 

 

Hey Niall,

great post

Change is coming,

We are getting there

[brick]

Niall absolutely no apologizes are necessary. Good open debate/discussions are healthy. I will read both your posts again when I am straight. As I just perused them. java script:add_smilie("","smid_40")

[grace]

That's a ripper post Niall.

 

I was in Nimbin a few weeks ago and I have to ask the cops......'what's the problem?'

I don't expect an answer that makes any sense at all.

 

What has happened to the Hemp bar and most likely to the museum is disturbing.

But if they want Guerrilla tactics then that is what they will get.

 

They will never win their so-called war; never.

 

Could not have said it any better old rocker.

There is no sense to it at all.

What has happened to the Hemp Bar and Nimbin Museum "may"bring more people together

Will not be missing 4.20 tomorrow for anything

[bufo marinus]

Yeah living responsibly is about the best weapon we have, I've never had to ram anything down my kids throats for them to understand why I smoke and don't drink. bufo marinus drunk is as obnoxious a handful as they get but getting off track.

The Hemp bar, to my way of thinking, was showing what is possible, what a fricken brilliant idea and what a great place to have a smoke at, I poked my head in at Mardi Grass 2 year ago and loved the concept of what had been achieved in Nimbin. Pissed wankers are the only problem I've ever seen, I've had a few mischievous imps try and sell me pot in the museum, but I wasn't offended or hasselled.

This will only be another page in the story, I'm sure the players will adapt and the deals will happen elsewhere.

 

 

But what I really wanted to say also was, I thought that fricken Kombi van and Museum were being touted as possibly being National Heritage listed or something a while ago? Have I got my wires crossed? Anyone?

[loylty gets u nothing]

hemp bar was not much imho

just a commercial placxe to score buds

not my idea of supporting tha cause...

im sorta happy they gone

casue now we dont have the bad publicity the place creates

u may not agree with me

but im sorta happy they gone

take care

bil

[linbaba]

The last time I was in the the hemp bar Sam was questioning if their approach was right because of the wrath they incurred as he put it, so maybe they'll take this opportunity to take a different tact. It really has nothing to do with the buying or selling of pot as that happens all over Nimbin and nothing will change that in the immediate future. But what Michael Baulderstone said about no dealing going on in there in recent times is true from what I saw, and speaks for the genuine intentions of the guys in there IMO. I don't think they make a lot from selling coffee, and half the people in there are friends who never paid for them anyway

 

Its true they weren't doing much good but I think its a shame to see them go. At the end of the day they were trying to normalise cannabis use for those that chose to partake. I guess another reason why there is a lack of frontline activists in Australia, bugger all support from the public and you just make yourself a target.

[MongyMan]

The Hemp bar, to my way of thinking, was showing what is possible, what a fricken brilliant idea and what a great place to have a smoke at.

A brilliant idea yes. A great place for people to sit and smoke at yes. I couldn't agree more buffo. I'm left feeling the people running it have let all cannabis smokers down again though. First they jump in bed with the anti hydro fanatics because it doesnt suit their ' hippy ' business image and now by diversifying from the smokers cafe they claim to be, into commercial drug distribution, they have handed the police the excuse on a platter to shut them down and have another media frenzy over the " drug problem " in Nimbin. There was no way in the world they would be closing now had they stayed a smokers cafe and rather than it going down as just another failure in the social experiment that Nimbin is they would be a strong voice in the fight for legal smokers cafes in other parts of Australia. Shame the money came first.

 

This will only be another page in the story, I'm sure the players will adapt and the deals will happen elsewhere.

They arn't the first and they won't be the last for sure. I just hope the next players on the board have the intelligence to understand they represent all smokers as far as the media is concerned and they don't make a total fuck up of it like this mob has.

 

The guys promised me they will go out blazing on webcam - and it may re emerge as a new identity , but as of Friday the Hemp Bar will never be the same

 

Bit late for anything from them imo. Just go fella's and don't 're-emerge' and do us all a favor. Leave it to someone who can actually run it with an image the media and police can't use as a poster for tougher drug laws.

 

Sometimes the rif-raff needs moving on to make way for better things. Personaly I think this is one of those times.

 

Peace MongyMan

[grace]

A brilliant idea yes. A great place for people to sit and smoke at yes. I couldn't agree more buffo. I'm left feeling the people running it have let all cannabis smokers down again though. First they jump in bed with the anti hydro fanatics because it doesnt suit their ' hippy ' business image and now by diversifying from the smokers cafe they claim to be, into commercial drug distribution, they have handed the police the excuse on a platter to shut them down and have another media frenzy over the " drug problem " in Nimbin. There was no way in the world they would be closing now had they stayed a smokers cafe and rather than it going down as just another failure in the social experiment that Nimbin is they would be a strong voice in the fight for legal smokers cafes in other parts of Australia. Shame the money came first.

 

 

They arn't the first and they won't be the last for sure. I just hope the next players on the board have the intelligence to understand they represent all smokers as far as the media is concerned and they don't make a total fuck up of it like this mob has.

 

 

 

Bit late for anything from them imo. Just go fella's and don't 're-emerge' and do us all a favor. Leave it to someone who can actually run it with an image the media and police can't use as a poster for tougher drug laws.

 

Sometimes the rif-raff needs moving on to make way for better things. Personaly I think this is one of those times.

 

Peace MongyMan

 

There's a lot of truth in what you are saying here Mongy ...

We are a diverse group and need to show the public that

 

 

Maybe a National Cannabis Summit put on by the cannabis community representing all of us not just some

 

xxx

[freddie]

I haven't been there for years but I'm sad its closed down.

 

Bit late for anything from them imo. Just go fella's and don't 're-emerge' and do us all a favor. Leave it to someone who can actually run it with an image the media and police can't use as a poster for tougher drug laws.

Who? At least they were doing something.

 

Sometimes the rif-raff needs moving on to make way for better things. Personaly I think this is one of those times.

You make some good points MongyMan, but this isn't one of them. The "rif-raff" represent a large number of cannabis users. Maybe its not the image you want to be representative of smokers but there aren't a lot of others doing anything are there.

 

Awesome post Niall. Made my day.

[MongyMan]

Who? At least they were doing something.

 

The something they were doing has only given more ammunition to those that want to see all cannabis users persicuted and victimised. They were given an oppertunity to show that a legal cannabis caffe can work. Nimbin was the only place that society would allow such a thing to be trialed thanks to the the activism work done by people long before the hemp bar was even an idea. Now not only is there no cannabis caffes anywhere else in Oz, there isn't even one in Nimbin. Given the inch that cannabis law reform needed they took a mile and fucked it. Good work fellas.

 

The "rif-raff" represent a large number of cannabis users.

 

So the media would have people belive freddie, it's why they love to report things like this. Most cannabis users dont even come close to fitting that description. If even other smokers believe that then what chance do we have of change.

 

Maybe its not the image you want to be representative of smokers but there aren't a lot of others doing anything are there.

 

What I want the image to be is irrelevant, what the public thinks is what's important and the media decides that. Nimbin is the self proclaimed cannabis capitol of Australia and places like the hemp bar are the face that joe public sees and equates to the average smoker. Society happily welcomed a smokers caffe, even advertised it on TV an in glossy tourist magazines. If it had worked as planned in Nimbin there is no doubt in my mind that others would have followed around Oz but thanks to them turning it into a commercial drug dealing premmises that is all gone now. There may not be many others doing anything as publicly but Im sure what is being done, does alot more good than anything the hemp bar has done. If anything I think they have taken cannabis law reform backwards.

 

Peace MongyMan