• About
    • Ethics policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ownership, funding and corrections
    • Complaints procedure
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
Brighton and Hove News
15 June, 2025
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Brighton and Hove News
No Result
View All Result
Home Brighton

Cannabis restaurant raid followed spliff rolling competition, court hears

by Jo Wadsworth
Tuesday 31 Aug, 2021 at 4:21PM
A A
5
Cannabis restaurant files passed to the CPS


The UK’s first cannabis restaurant was raided after police saw an advert for a spliff rolling competition, a court heard today.

The Canna Kitchen’s sister shop, the Hemp Earth Dispensary, announced it was holding “rolling tryouts” to find someone to roll spliffs for them for £10 an hour.

An undercover policeman went along to the joint premises in Duke Street, Brighton, and saw a variety of hemp on sale, which he took away for analysis.

Low levels of THC, the psychoactive substance which gives cannabis its high, were found and the shop was raided a few weeks later.

Today the owner, Sammy Ben Rabah or Sam Evolution, went on trial at Hove Crown Court charged with two counts of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Prosecuting, Robin Miric said: “At the start of 2019, the dispensary put an eye-catching advert in the Metro newspaper for a spliff rolling contest and invited the best to come to the shop and take part in what they said was lawfully rolling CBD flowers.

“These are part of the cannabis plant.

“The prosecution say this was an eye catching exercise to try and encourage people to visit the shop in question, the dispensary.

“But it wasn’t just members of the public who saw the advert. Unfortunately for the proprietor the police also saw it.”

He said that on the day of the tryouts, 7 March 2019, PC Vincent Lam went along in plain clothes and saw a range of herbal substances, bongs and cannabis grinders on display in large glass cabinets.

He heard a member of staff advising customers they could buy hemp to treat insomnia at the shop, or online.

PC Lam showed his warrant card, and the staff member fetched Ben Rabah, 34, who told him that he was selling hemp with a level of a substance called THC at less than 0.2 per cent.

THC is the psychoactive substance which produces the high from smoking most cannabis.

Mr Miric said: “He maintained his activities were therefore legal and that he had a home office document setting this out.

“He did have a document, but he had not been granted a licence to sell cannabis products.

“Cannabis is a class B drug and it’s an offence to possess, cultivate or sell that drug.

“The amount of THC varies between different strands and cultivations . . . but there are no exemption levels or levels of THC which would make the material legal.

“Any detectable amount of THC means it’s illegal.”

PC Lam took some of the hemp on sale away with him, and it was examined by a lab, which found low but detectable levels of THC present.

Police then returned to the restaurant and the shop and seized all the hemp, worth an estimated £22,000, on 8 May.

Ben Rabah, who lived in Mill Rise, Brighton and has now moved to Bristol, was interviewed under caution, and other than a prepared statement saying he believed the hemp he sold was legal, he made no comment.

He was charged after a lengthy investigation in February 2020.

The restaurant has been closed since the raid, and gave up its lease shortly after. It has now become a vegan restaurant.

ShareTweetShareSendSendShare

Comments 5

  1. catherine k says:
    4 years ago

    Dont know why people need cannabis.
    Mindfulness, cold water therapy and candles make you relax not drugs.
    Folk should use all the tools on our doorstep to relax
    Be mindful of mindfulness and you will sea, what i sea
    P

    Reply
    • Bob says:
      4 years ago

      Ah yes the old this works for me so dismiss any possible therapy that may work for others,

      Reply
    • Baz says:
      4 years ago

      Cold water therapy causes me severe back pain. I’ve got dyspraxia so I can’t have too many candles because I’m likely to burn my flat down. Do you know what works? Cannabis.

      ps. It’s spelled “see”

      Reply
  2. Om Paddy says:
    4 years ago

    Catherine k seems to have nodded off. Her mantra must work but her dreams would be boring.

    Reply
  3. Hove Guy says:
    4 years ago

    It looks like the fool “shot himself in the foot” with his advertisement and is now paying the price. Not exactly an Evolution. More a Regression.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most read

Former teacher honoured by King

Brighton man faces court charged with rape

Neighbours thwart plans for 24/7 Burger King

Historic church prepares to take down scaffolding after 11 years

Former Brighton councillor becomes CBE

King honours Brighton nurse turned politician, teacher, editor and others

Brighton school goes from special measures to good in three years

Cannabis restaurant raid followed spliff rolling competition, court hears

A deeply unequal city

Royal Albion Hotel owner submits plan for latest demolition work

Newsletter

Arts and Culture

  • All
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Food and Drink
Top Left Club staying sick as ever!

Top Left Club staying sick as ever!

15 June 2025
Post-punk legends Theatre Of Hate play secret Brighton gig

Post-punk legends Theatre Of Hate play secret Brighton gig

14 June 2025
Gary Numan announces Brighton Centre concert as part of ‘Telekon 45’ tour

Gary Numan announces Brighton Centre concert as part of ‘Telekon 45’ tour

13 June 2025
In ‘Paradise’ with Safire in Brighton

In ‘Paradise’ with Safire in Brighton

10 June 2025
Load More

Sport

  • All
  • Brighton and Hove Albion
  • Cricket
Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Sussex Sharks stay top of their group with T20 triumph at Glamorgan

by Blake Bint - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
14 June 2025
0

Glamorgan 172 (18.5 overs) Sussex 199-7 (20 overs) Sussex won by 27 runs. Sussex 4 points, Glamorgan 0 points. Sussex...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Rain saves Sussex Sharks in T20 against Essex at Hove

by Adrian Colley
13 June 2025
0

Sussex 23-3 (3.1 overs) Essex 177-4 (17 overs) No result Essex’s hopes of claiming their first win of the season...

Brighton and Hove Albion announce Kostoulas signing

Brighton and Hove Albion announce Kostoulas signing

by Frank le Duc
12 June 2025
0

Brighton and Hove Albion have announced the signing of 18-year-old striker Charalampos Kostoulas from Greek champions Olympiacos on a five-year...

Brighton and Hove Albion agree £30m deal for 18-year-old Greek forward

Brighton and Hove Albion agree £30m deal for 18-year-old Greek forward

by Frank le Duc
12 June 2025
0

Brighton and Hove Albion have agreed a £30 million deal to sign 18-year-old Greek forward Charalampos Kostoulas, according to the...

Load More
August 2021
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Jul   Sep »

RSS From Sussex News

  • King honours longest-serving firefighter 14 June 2025
  • Chief Constable awarded King’s Police Medal 14 June 2025
  • Former MP made a CBE in honours list 14 June 2025
  • Council leader becomes OBE in King’s birthday honours list 13 June 2025
  • Gatwick-bound flight crashes 12 June 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy
  • Complaints
  • Ownership, funding and corrections
  • Ethics
  • T&C

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Opinion
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Sport
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Contact

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News