Kiwis have one the highest rates of pot smoking in the world, and soon they will have ‘‘cannabis clubs’’ where they can indulge in their pastime.

Pot dens, where people can smoke, buy or even formally study the illegal drug, are poised to open throughout the country this year.

The first so-called ‘‘cannabis connoisseurs club’’ opened in Auckland more than a year ago.

And given that police have turned a blind eye to the operation, the owner has now announced plans to open a club in every big city.‘‘We have demand from virtually every city in the country,’’ Dakta Green, who founded the Daktory, told New Zealand’s Sunday News.

‘‘I would expect to see in the next 12 months Daktories in every major city in this country, every city should have at least one - 2010 is the year people within our culture are demanding changes throughout the world.’’