Cannabis campaigner says law reform fight 'has got serious' after arrest

The founder of Wellington's first cannabis club says he is about to "get noisy" on law reform, after being arrested over the weekend.

Dakta Green and co-defendantJohn Middeldorp appeared in the Wellington District Court this morning on several charges of possessing and supplying cannabis.

Green's cannabis club, The Daktory, was raided by police on Friday night.

The pro-cannabis campaigner opened the club in the capital earlier this year. He ran The Daktory in Auckland for more than two years.

Green and Middeldorp didn't enter pleas and were remanded on bail until September.

A crowd of supporters were waiting outside the court for Green and cheered when he left.

Pro-cannabis protesters gathered outside the Wellington District Court. Photo / Mark Mitchell

They were holding signs saying, "Free the Daktory crew" and "No one should be caged for cannabis".

Green said it was "an absolute travesty of justice" that cannabis users were being arrested.

"If you had any idea how popular this club had been over the past few months ... you'd be demanding to know why the politicians are allowing us to continue being locked in jail."

He said the charges were an "absolute nonsense".

Green said he'd previously asked the police for the club to have discretion but said they had ignored that.

"We set up a club so that we could argue on our behalf that it was our plant and it does not belong to the corporates."

Green with his supporters outside the Wellington District Court. Photo / Mark Mitchell

He said the Government were treating them as "second-class citizens".

"We are sick and tired of the nonsense and it has to end and if it takes my arrest, we will make changes and we will be at Parliament demanding changes."

Green couldn't answer whether the club would stay open or not.

His bail conditions said he would not be able to consume or possess cannabis but he said that "he didn't need to do that", as long as he got the message across.

"The fight has really got serious now."