A cannabis campaigner has said he plans to open Amsterdam-style cafes selling the banned drug in Sussex.

A cafe called The Dutch Experience opened in Stockport, Manchester, in September and co-owner, Colin Davies, is now looking for venues in Brighton and Worthing.

He said he planned to open 12 cafes nationwide, with a proposed launch date of January 1, 2002.

Mr Davies, 44, was arrested within minutes of his Stockport cafe opening. Police raided the cafe and hotel rooms. Six people, including Mr Davies's Dutch business partner, Nol van Schaik, were bailed to appear in court on November 20.

Mr Davies famously presented the Queen with a cannabis plant during a visit to The Lowry Centre in Salford last year.

He is interested in opening a cafe in Worthing because a friend living in the area uses the drug to ease the pain he suffers from multiple sclerosis. Worthing church leaders and councillors are opposed to the idea of the cafe.

Mr Davies said: "I use cannabis because I have fractured my spine and it helps with the pain. When the first cafe opened we stopped selling cannabis for a while but it is obviously available here again.

"People will experience everything they experience in a Dutch coffee shop. Every town needs coffee shops. Stockport needs about ten, and Manchester needs about 60.

"We are employing people and paying rates. This should have been done 25 years ago when they opened cafes in Holland."

Cannabis laws are due to be relaxed next year but Sussex Police deny they have changed their policy towards cannabis.

They say people smoking the drug they should expect to be arrested, charged and brought before the courts.

Brian Lynn, leader of Worthing Borough Council is against the idea of a coffee shop. He said: "We would not want that in Worthing. Drug-taking is illegal and we don't want to encourage it.

"It's different for medicinal purposes but they wouldn't need a cafe for it. Any form of open selling of drugs is opposed."

A spokesman for the Diocese of Chichester said: "Any drug-taking will cause problems with people's integrity."