Recession leading to more growing drugs
THE pungent smell hits you in a wave as you walk through the doors.
Heaped up in piles everywhere are large paper sacks, overflowing with the drying green cannabis leaves whose aroma fills the air.
The drugs store at Torquay police station is filled to capacity after a run of highly successful cannabis raids across the Bay.
Drugs officers believe the recession is one reason for the number of small scale drugs factories and home cannabis farms which are springing up in attics, airing cupboards and bedrooms in flats and houses.
The street price of cannabis has gone up so £10 now buys just a small amount.
This means just one high-quality plant, such as those seized by officers in Torquay and Paignton over the last week or so, can be worth £400 to £500.
The other factor in the changing pattern of drug production is that anybody can buy the legal seeds and horticultural equipment needed to grow the marijuana plants. After that, all you need is a bit of gardening know-how, or advice which is freely available on internet chat forums, if you run into growing difficulties.
It is not illegal to possess or buy the seeds or the equipment which is openly sold at shops.
PC Jason Parsons, who has been heading Operation Fundamental which tackles drugs in Torbay, said: "There certainly has been an increase in domestic production of cannabis.
"People are growing stuff for their own use and running small-scale factories to sell cannabis on the streets."
PC Jamie Nicholson, drugs liaison officer for the whole South and West Devon patch, said the growers cultivate the female flowering head of the cannabis plant which contains the highest amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the crystallised active ingredient which causes the 'high'.
He said: "This flowering head is what is sold about 99 per cent of the time around the Bay. It is also known as skunk, or bud cannabis."
Examining one large kilo bag in the Torquay police station drugs store, he said: "These are very high-quality, well-grown plants, covered in buds. When you think that each bud is what sells on the streets for about £10 you can see what this is worth.
"These are not industrial-sized factories, just a house or flat which has been converted.
"The loft is historically the perfect place to grow cannabis, taking a few tiles out or putting in a window for ventilation.
"Often it's only the heat signature or the light from these high-powered lamps which gives it away.
"Any intelligence helps and the public can call Crimestoppers anonymously.
"Even if they see people coming and going at odd times, or big vans coming in one night dropping lots of equipment off — it may add to intelligence we already have.
"People who cultivate cannabis for profit are well aware that the punishments for large-scale heroin and cocaine possession are much worse.
"We don't want it out there on the streets because these are drugs and it ruins many people's lives.
"If people are using cannabis and think of it as just a cheeky smoke and it's not doing any harm, they need to think again about the crime groups who are behind it and using the profits.
"Then the profits are taken away and used for different trafficking offences, not just drugs.
"Cannabis is such a cross-sectional drug, affecting anything from 14 year olds up to 70 year olds.
"Historically, we have had the elderly growing it and saying it is for pain relief or multiple sclerosis. But there are medicinal, licensed products for people with MS and they should go to their doctor and get a prescription for it."
PC Parsons said neighbours can help. He said: "We want to hear from anybody who sees, hears or smells anything suspicious.
"We want to hear about addresses which don't appear to be lived in. It's not just if there is a strong smell — it's also places where the curtains are always pulled, where the bins never go out, where there are humming noises from ventilation fans or heaters.
"Also if you see a big van arriving at your neighbours' house and they are taking in large amounts of equipment, it is worth giving us a call anonymously on the Crimestoppers number."
At one of last week's raids, the neighbours said they had thought it was odd that nobody appeared to be living at the upstairs flat.
Another neighbour said: "We had no idea what was going on in there. We didn't smell anything strange."
PC Nick Healey said: "When we come in and seize all the equipment and plants they stand to lose a lot, and suffer a hefty criminal conviction because the production of cannabis is a serious offence and can lead to imprisonment."
ANYONE with information can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
31 Comments
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by FrankEinstein
Wednesday, January 25 2012, 7:58AM
“I don't think the general public mind at all people smoking cannabis in their own home, like tobacco. However drinking in the street should be banned. The problem as usual is all the little welfare do nothings who resort to crime to pay for their habits ( be it smoking, drinking) The law needs to be tougher on these criminals and not just brand everyone with a habit as a problem. But as we have found out with the phone hacking scandal, the police and the courts don't realy like to do anything until they are shamed into doing it, same with the London chav riots.”
by Tony248
Tuesday, January 24 2012, 8:34PM
“Trouble is, if you sign do you get raided by Torbay's finest?”
by DTP87
Tuesday, January 24 2012, 12:35PM
“For all those who think cannabis should be legalised - there is an government e-petition
http://tinyurl.com/3pszbck
100,000 signitures promts a debate in parliment.”
by whothefizit
Monday, January 23 2012, 7:15PM
“Am getting the impression from this article that there is generally little support for the Law in its persecution of Tokers. No doubt this attitude would be the same in any part of this 'Green and pleasant' ( pun intended ) land. A pity the Law makers couldnt take more notice of public opinion which would reduce the prison population and increase tax revenue. Legalisation or decriminilisation may also help to increase respect for the police force which is seen as an Ass for dancing to the Politicians tune. I prevously mentioned ordinary decent people who enjoyed a smoke, and these people, once visited by the constabulary, lose any respect for the force from then on. Now then, where's me Rizlas”
by Tony248
Monday, January 23 2012, 3:00PM
“Absolutely. I don't even smoke, Jane. Don't mind a drink, even though I realise it's far more dangerous than cannabis. I just think this whole "war on drugs" is an entirely futile waste of time and money, and a negation of freedom. After all, it isn't illegal to commit suicide (any more) but take something which MIGHT harm you and you get sent to jail? Anyone see any logic there?”
by Jane_Toms
Monday, January 23 2012, 2:41PM
“"I don't use cannabis" Sniff Sniff...You sure about that Tony?”
by Tony248
Monday, January 23 2012, 11:30AM
“FrankEinstein (clever name by the way) instead of being negative, try making out a case for criminalising a substance (plant) that for 99.5% of mankind's history was an accepted part of any culture in which it could be grown, and which quite plainly is far less of a problem than drugs which are perfectly legal?
And unlike (I suspect) most of the contributors here, I don't use cannabis.. I am merely annoyed at the vast expenditure of MY tax money on this totally pointless exercise. Were it not for police time wasted on enforcing drug bans, all the crime WITH VICTIMS could be much more effectively dealt with- even with the cuts!”
by Hydra1
Sunday, January 22 2012, 11:49AM
“The police are saying people are growing their own drugs because the price has gone up and then they tell us that people growing drugs should think about the"'crime groups behind the profits" - hang on, doesn't growing your own cannabis remove the profits from the drug gangs? Of course it does - why are the police being allowed to get away with these intelligence-insulting excuses and propaganda for their pathetic war on pot?
The police are not up for tackling real criminals - this is manifestly obvious from the drug seizure statistics with around 75% of all drug seizures being for cannabis - the least harmful drug in modern use. It is SO easy for them to bust cannabis users/growers so they seemingly aren't so interested in the difficult stuff.
Even America has decriminalised weed, at least for health purposes, in many states. Britain is backward as usual and our jails are full of cannabis growers - all costing the taxpayer dear. As someone has already pointed out - how stupid to spend vast amounts of money on trying to stop MILLIONS of people doing something they have done for at least 6000 years? Don't they know cannabis is here to stay? Are they really so naive and stupid as to think otherwise?
Everytime they bust someone and it appears in the papers it seems very unfair, but it produces a wry smile in me as I think of all the police time and taxpayers money being wasted on this ridiculous, lost war and I see the 'system' is shooting itself in the foot.
It is also astonishing to see how out-of-touch the police knowledge of cannabis is - after all this time - they do not seem to appreciate that the 'active' ingredient THC is just one component of the 'high' - the cannabinoids act as a kind of natural 'anti-psychotic' and they begin to develop later in the growth cycle - this means, as someone has already pointed out, that weed that has been harvested too early will have a high THC content compared to cannabinoid content - it is this kind of weed that makes some people a bit 'wobbly' - weed that has been properly grown and cured will contain a good amount of the anti-psychotic cannabinoids meaning people using it will have a more relaxing, non wobbly experience - prohibition has led to gangs growing vast amounts of weed hydroponically, it is always cut too early and is usually pretty bad quality all round - it is this kind of stuff that makes people go 'weird' if they have too much - and the actions of the police acting under prohibition have caused this dodgy stuff to flood the market. 15 years ago you could only buy decent weed grown either locally or in the Netherlands - now the market is saturated with high priced rubbish - thanks to the police. So of course more people are growing their own - they should be supported - they are doing more than the police ever did to take cannabis out of the hands of gangs and criminals.”
by omnivore23
Sunday, January 22 2012, 10:26AM
“FrankEinsten - I feel you are missing the point of the argument.
No-one is saying that cannabis should be decriminalised simply because lots of people are doing it - but becasue:
it is a victimless "crime"
cannabis is relatively harmless to most people (note my use of the word "relatively")
decriminilisation would cut out the profits for criminals gangs and terrorism
massive amounts of police time would be saved
money could be raised for the treasury
Can you address these?”
by FrankEinstein
Saturday, January 21 2012, 11:58PM
“Yes Tony 248, if a substantial number of people want to break other laws such as tax avoidance or assault we should just legalise those as well. And I agree there was absolutely no organised crime in America until prohibition of alcohol, in fact it makes me wonder why they even had a police force ready to deal with prohibition as it clearly wasn't needed before. I guess they were just lucky.”