UK420 News/Politics

Who Do You Think Smokes Pot

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:16:27 +0000

Hi

Bongme

Weed Debates Meth (both Are Schedule One Drugs) Why?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:59:55 +0000

Hi

Bongme

Bbc World Service Now

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:39:21 +0000

Clues in the title!

Uk : Drugs Farm Found Near Sunderland School

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:32:24 +0000

Hi

21 November 2009

By Tim Booler

A cannabis farm worth �700,000 has been discovered just yards from a school.

A tip-off led a team of officers to the house in Thornhill Terrace, opposite St Anthony's School, Sunderland.

A large operation was launched and two men, Phan Van Giap, 19, of Thornhill Terrace,

and 21-year-old Tuan Van Tran, of no fixed address, were arrested and charged with

being concerned with the production of cannabis, a Class B drug. Police seized more than 700 plants from the property.

Some residents in the leafy street, where house prices can reach �350,000, were surprised to find the suburb awash with squad cars and vans, the force helicopter hovering above, and officers searching gardens.

One said: "It's normally very quiet around here. This is not the sort of thing you expect at all. But I suppose it can happen anywhere these days."

Sunderland Police were delighted with the outcome of the successful operation.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Paul Whittle, who covers the city centre, said: "We hope that by listening to the concerns of the residents and taking positive action, members of the public are reassured that we are listening to their concerns and reaching solutions for the issues which affect them the most."

He added: "Making people feel safer in their neighbourhood is our priority and we will continue to target those who take part in criminal activity and hope the public feel reassured that we are doing so."

The Thornhill drugs raid comes after a number of similar raids on cannabis farms in Sunderland in recent months.

About 400 plants were found at a house in Morgan Street, Southwick, after Pc Andy Howarth noticed a strong smell while patrolling his beat.

Six hundred plants, with an estimated street value of �300,000, were found at a rented farmhouse in Front Street, Newbottle, after officers went to investigate a burglary.

Anyone with information regarding drug activity in Sunderland can contact police on 03456 043 043, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Ear

Bongme

Usa: The Ama's Reversal On Marijuana

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:25:29 +0000

The AMA's reversal on marijuana

The physicians' group wants more research into the drug's medicinal uses, but it's being cautious in its approach.

For all the debate over whether marijuana has medicinal value, arguments that the drug has significant palliative properties or that it has none suffer from the same flaw: There's little scientific proof either way.

This lack of conclusive evidence isn't accidental. In 1970, Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act, classifying marijuana -- which had been illegal since 1937 -- as a Schedule I drug, which meant that it had a high potential for abuse and no medicinal value. In keeping with this position, the government has allowed only the University of Mississippi to cultivate research-grade marijuana, and has so restricted access to its small supply that determining the drug's efficacy is for all intents and purposes impossible.

So patients' advocates celebrated last week when the nation's largest physicians organization, the American Medical Assn., recommended that marijuana's schedule classification be reviewed for the purpose of facilitating research and the "development of cannabinoid-based medicines." It was indeed good news.

But hold the brownies. Although the AMA reversed a long-held position, it also issued a series of caveats: The change does not mean the organization supports state-sanctioned medical marijuana programs. It should not suggest that cannabis meets the standard set for prescription drugs. Nor is this an indication that the organization advocates legalization. Moreover, it has specifically rejected language calling for marijuana to be rescheduled.

That medical marijuana is becoming more acceptable to the mainstream is undeniable -- 13 states now permit its use -- but ideally, major healthcare policy shouldn't be enacted by popular opinion. In that light, the AMA's recommendation is all the more powerful for its restraint.

In 1913, California became the first state to outlaw marijuana, and in 1996, it became the first to approve it for medical use. We have been supportive of the California Compassionate Use Act, but we have been equally vocal about the need for research. Small studies suggest that cannabis relieves nerve pain in HIV patients, mitigates migraine headaches, reduces ocular hypertension in glaucoma patients and is effective against various forms of severe, chronic pain. The states that have legalized the drug's use for medicinal purposes have done so on the basis of a small body of research and a large amount of anecdotal evidence, but more facts are needed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should heed the doctors' orders on this matter and open the way to scientific investigation.

source: hxxp://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-ama21-2009nov21,0,406900.story?track=rss

Uk : Merseyside Police Arrest 12 In Operation Strikeout

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:51:04 +0000

Hi

Nov 21 2009

by Samantha Parker

Liverpool Echo

A CANNABIS factory and class A drugs were discovered in a series of dawn raids at 17 addresses in Merseyside and Warrington.

Twelve people were arrested yesterday in Operation Strikeout which involved 100 officers.

The aim of the operation was to target the suspected use and supply of powder Cocaine.

The 10 men and two women were arrested for a variety of drugs offences and are helping police with their enquiries.

Chief Inspector Nick Bailey, said: “Operation Strikeout is the result of six months of intelligence and evidence gathering surrounding the supply of cocaine.”

AC...

Bongme

Uk : Student Had Drugs Hidden In Underwear

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:04:17 +0000

Hi

Saturday, November 21, 2009

A UNIVERSITY of Plymouth student had six bags of cannabis hidden in his underwear when the car he was in was stopped by police in Union Street, a court heard.

And when Adrian Izadpanah's home in Mannamead was searched they found more cannabis, plastic bags, scales and �1,220 in cash.

Izadpanah, aged 22 and of Whiteford Road, pleaded guilty to possession of a class B drug with intent to supply but claimed most of the cash was unrelated to drugs.

His solicitor Ali Rafati told Plymouth Crown Court Izadpanah had been smoking the drug for three years, spent around �30 a week on cannabis and had disgraced his decent, respectable family, who were in court to support him.

He was in his second year at university and was working as a telemarketer to pay his way through his course.

Judge Paul Darlow told Izadpanah: "You will go to prison next time if you go anywhere near drugs; even simple possession will put you in problems."

He ordered the student to do 250 hours of unpaid community work, imposed a curfew from 7pm-4am Thursday to Sunday for three months and ordered him to pay �900 prosecution costs.

Ear

Bongme

Uk: Zero Tolerance High Visibility Drug Patrols

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:56:51 +0000

QUOTE

Zero tolerance high visibility drug patrols

November 20, 2009

Officers are carrying out high-visibility patrols in areas of Reading at risk of developing a drug problem.

That is according to the PCSO for Newtown and East Reading, Sue Roff.

She said: �We are still fighting the supply of drugs in the Orts Road area by stopping and searching anyone we suspect of dealing and or buying/carrying them and issuing regular on-street cautions to those that are found with a small amount for personal use.

�We are also increasing high visibility patrols in areas developing drug problems, following information provided by the public.�

Meanwhile, drug dealing is down in North Whitley.

PC Jon Bowness, from Whitley�s North neighbourhood team, said: �We are still noticing in the North Whitley neighbourhood that there has been a fall in the number of known drug dealers in the area.

�As a team we are proud of this and we believe that this is down to the number of drug warrants we have carried out this year and the continued use of stop and search powers.�

However, suspected drug taking is on the up in East Reading.

PC Alan Hunt, from The University of Reading neighbourhood, said: �On Friday, October 23, a street briefing was held and those who attended raised concerns about cars being vandalised, noise at and around 3am and garages off Eastern Avenue being used for drug taking.�

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2061237...ty_drug_patrols

Been a while since there's been a token show of heavy police presence there, pretty sure that Sue Roff must be new to the area as she says "areas of Reading at risk of developing a drug problem" and "areas developing drug problems", it's not really an area at risk of developing a problem as there has been cannabis openly sold in Newtown for 20+ years

Christmas Ornament Bongs?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:20:50 +0000

Hi

Bongme

Eu : 'cannabis' Drinks Can't Be Trademarked, Court Says

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:01:02 +0000

Hi

By SONYA ANGELICA DIEHN

(CN) - The word "Cannabis" may not be trademarked for beverages containing hemp, a European court ruled. The Court of First Instance upheld a European market office's determination that the mark is descriptive, not distinctive.
A German brewery producing a beer called "Cannabis Club" challenged Italian beverage retailer Giampietro Torresan's 1996 registry of "Cannabis" for a line of hemp-containing alcoholic beverages.
The Luxembourg-based court agreed with the German brewery that this is not a "normal" way of designating alcoholic beverages.
Hemp has three possible meanings, according to the court: a textile plant, a "narcotic which is prohibited by a great number of member states," and a disputed therapeutic substance.
The ruling said that the average consumer buying a "Cannabis" beer will probably do so because "they are convinced that it contains cannabis and are attracted by the possibility of obtaining from the beverage the same ... sensations as they obtain from the consumption of cannabis in another form."
This makes "Cannabis" descriptive of a product's characteristics, which cannot be trademarked, the court concluded.
Ear

Bongme

High Times Oregon Norml Cannabis Caf� Grand Opening.flv

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:53:28 +0000

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Bongme

Cpn Interviews Sherry C. Of Missouri

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:37:41 +0000

Hi

Bongme

Uk: An American Stockbroker Has One Of The World�s Most Prolific Canna

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:38:59 +0000

American stockbroker sets record for cannabis consumption with 115,000th joint (and it's all legal

An American stockbroker has one of the world�s most prolific cannabis smokers � thanks to a constant supply of the drug to treat a rare bone disease.

Fort Lauderdale stockbroker Irvin Rosenfeld will tomorrow smoke his 115,000th joint - and it�s all legal.

The 56-year-old has been provided with cannabis by the government since 1982, when he became a patient in the Federal Drug Administration�s Investigational New Drug Programme.

Rosenfeld suffers from multiple congenital cartilaginous exostoses, which causes severe pain which can be alleviated by the drug.

He has been receiving 300 joints of the drug every 25 days for the past 27 years, NBC Miami reported.

�I would be bedridden without it, if I would even be alive,� he insisted.

�I shouldn�t have been alive and I�m still alive, I take no other medicines, I�m in great shape because of the cannabis. It�s just sad because the medicine�s there.�

Rosenfeld says he does not get �high� on the drug, nor does it make him hungry.

He said: �No munchies, no munchies, nothing other people get. A lot of patients don�t get high.�

He added: �There are people who have been raised to think it�s the devil�s work, they�ll always be against it.

�If you truly think marijuana�s as bad as you think it is, explain me.�

The first marijuana coffee shop in the US has opened in Portland, Oregon.

The premises allows people prescribed marijuana by a doctor a place to buy and smoke the drug, although they have to remain out of public view.

It is technically a private club, but is open to any Oregon residents who hold official medical marijuana cards. There are 21,000 patients registered to use marijuana in the state.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...e-disorder.html

Help Save America, Buy Home Grown!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:04:36 +0000

Hi

Bongme

The Student Movement To End The War On Drugs!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:04:01 +0000

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Bongme

John Flerlage On Medical Marijuana

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:02:48 +0000

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Bongme

Uk : Drugs Accused Was Amsterdam Bound

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:44:14 +0000

Hi

A Belfast man accused of being involved in supplying 250,000 worth of cannabis was stopped as he was about to board a one-way flight to Amsterdam, the High Court heard.

Friday, 20 November 2009

Michael Grimley, 25, told police he was going to the Dutch city to "party until his money ran out", prosecutors said.

Grimley, of Glenkeen, Dunmurry, was detained at Belfast International Airport last week following a police surveillance operation linked to an alleged drugs handover at the Sprucefield car park.

A Crown barrister said 50 kilos of suspected cannabis resin was packed into a box and bag transported from an Audi car to a Toyota vehicle in September.

Police monitoring the scene were said to have taken a series of photographs of the alleged exchange of drugs with an estimated street value of 250,000.

It was claimed that Grimley was linked to the operation by a finger print found on the box.

He faces one charge of being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs.

Nicola Auret, prosecuting, told a bail application:

"When he was arrested travelling to Amsterdam it was on a one-way ticket with the amount of 2,175 on him.

"He said he was going to Amsterdam to party until his money ran out, but leave enough for a flight back home."

Grimley, who is unemployed, claimed his brother gave him some of the money and he saved the rest.

Conor Maguire, defending, argued that the accused was only tenuously linked to the charge against him.

The barrister said Grimley denies being at the scene of the alleged handover, and pointed out how his fingerprints were not found on the bag.

Mr Maguire also described suspicions about the one-way ticket as a "red herring".

The court also heard suggestions that Grimley's gambling successes may have contributed to the cash he managed to save.

Refusing bail, Mr Justice Deeny ruled there was a risk of flight due to the strong case against the accused.

� UTV News

AC...

Bongme

Uk : Three Arrests Over �40,00 Of Cannabis Found In Tipton Raids

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:09 +0000

Hi

Nov 20 2009

Police have made three arrests after seizing cannabis thought to be worth around �40,000 during two simultaneous raids in Tipton.

West Midlands Police said officers, acting on information about drug-dealing in the area, had also recovered a large amount of cash after executing warrants at separate properties in Hudson Road.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis, while two other men, aged 31 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs.

Inspector Dale Randle, who is responsible for policing in Tipton, added: "Today's result would not have been possible without the information from the local community.

"We need more people to come forward and tell us about crime in their area so that we can stamp out crime in Tipton for good."

Ear

Bongme

Uk : Students Taught How To Grow Marijuana In Detroit's New Cannab

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:03:16 +0000

Hi

Students taught how to grow marijuana in Detroit's new cannabis college

Chris McGreal in Detroit

guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 November 2009

Horticulturalists, doctors and lawyers among instructors after Michigan legalises drug as a medicine

Nick Tennant in the grow room at Detroit's Cannabis College. Photograph: Johnny Quirin/Rapport

It goes without saying that there's no smoking in class. But there is a good deal of sniffing of leaves, discussion of the finer points of inhaling and debate over which plant gives the biggest hit.

Welcome to Detroit's cannabis college, recently opened with courses on how to grow marijuana – and harvest, cook and sell it too – after Michigan legalised the drug as a medicine.

Students get instruction from horticulturalists, doctors and lawyers as well as hands-on experience cultivating plants and guidance on how to protect their stash from the criminal element.

"Growing pot by chucking seeds in the garden is fine for the recreational industry," says the college co-founder, Nick Tennant, whose wholesome and youthful appearance, including acne-covered cheeks, startles some of the more ragged-looking students. "But when we're using this from a medicinal standpoint, you really need to document your strains and your genetics. The horticultural process is very complex. If you want to do it right you're going to need to learn. There's a lot of money in this if you do it right."

With more than 1,000 medical marijuana certificates issued each month in Michigan for users and growers to sell to them, there is demand for places at MedGrow Cannabis College, located in a small office block.

Among the first students paying $475 (�285) for six evening classes are people reliant on marijuana for pain relief and those who help them, including a clergyman who runs an Aids clinic.

Then there are young men such as Ryan Hasbany, a 20-year-old business student. He's still a year too young to get a grower's licence but he wants to learn the trade. "My father is a family practice doctor and he is issuing medical marijuana cards so I know there are a lot of people getting them. It could turn into a very lucrative business. The street prices are ridiculously high," he says of medical grade marijuana, which sells at $250 (�150) an ounce in Michigan. "There's Harvard economists who say this is what we need to bring the economy back."

Hasbany has no hesitation in admitting that he might be in a good position to judge the quality of what he grows. "I smoke it. In my high school graduating class, I'd say 25% of them were smoking it," he said.

Michigan became the 14th state to legalise medicinal marijuana this year after about two-thirds of voters supported the measure in a referendum. The move reflects growing acceptance of the drug in large parts of the country. In the past week, the US's first marijuana cafe opened in Oregon and Colorado ordered cannabis sales subject to tax.

The path was carved by California, where permission to buy marijuana requires little more than telling a sympathetic doctor it would make you feel better. Attitudes are changing in Washington too, where the Obama administration has told the FBI and other federal agencies to adhere to state marijuana laws in deciding who to arrest.

For all that, there is still hesitation over identification with what is now a legal industry in Michigan.

The first class of the evening at cannabis college is led by a physician who wants to be known only as Dr Powell. "Don't mention my first name. It'll make it harder for them to identify me," he says.

Powell explains to the students the range of conditions that permit him to issue a medical marijuana certificate, from cancer and Aids to a broad category of severe chronic pain. "If someone's had back surgery or a gunshot wound," says Powell.

There are questions. "Can I get it for gout?" asks a student. Powell thinks it unlikely.

The doctor says he is not concerned about addiction but regular cannabis users should find an alternative to smoking. That's why the course also includes a cookery class with recipes as varied as hash cakes and marijuana sushi.

The horticulture lecturer is even more wary than the doctor about being identified. "They might ask how I know how to grow all this stuff," he says. "I've been doing it for rather longer than it's been legal."

He, like many of those who lecture at Cannabis College, is also a consumer because of severe injury in a bad sporting accident. Tennant obtained a medical marijuana certificate to deal with a stomach condition that causes nausea. It is what brought out his acne.

The horticulturalist pulls open a couple of large white doors that act as an entire wall at the front of the classroom. Bright white light streams through the cracks and across the classroom to reveal a den of silver-lined walls, air conditioning ducts, fans and intense lights. At the heart sit a handful of plants – some of them bushes really.

The teacher runs through soil versus hydroponics, lights (red and blue better than LED), pruning (pluck, don't cut) and the intricacies of cloning. There's an explanation of ozone generating devices to cover the smell. "You might not want the neighbours to know. You don't want them raiding your house for your supply," he says.

Pasted to the wall is a chart of the labyrinth of marijuana species, their effect on different diseases and their particular tastes.

The horticulturist explains that there's money to be made from the trade in medicinal marijuana but growers must tailor the plant to the customer's need. "There's pot that makes you not shut up for five hours. There's pot where you sit on the couch and drool for five hours. That's not what you need if you're going to hold down a job. There's thousands of people getting patient cards and they all have needs. If you can work out how to meet those individual needs you're gonna get rich," he says.

Ear

Bongme

Uk :man Charged Over �60k Drug Find

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:01:48 +0000

Hi

Friday, 20 November 2009

A 24-year-old man from the Bogside has appeared in Londonderry Magistrates Court charged over �60,000 worth of drugs found by police in his home.

Andrew Christopher Ball from Westland Terrace was arrested on his birthday.

Mr Ball is charged with possessing 6kg of speed and cannabis, possessing the speed with intent to supply, and supplying cannabis.

Mr Ball was released on bail and ordered to wear an electronic tag. He is due back in court on 22 December.

His 19-year-old girlfriend, who was also arrested on Thursday night, was released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

Ear

Bongme

Uk :cannibis Found Behind Business

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:56 +0000

Hi

Friday 20th November 2009

A BUILDER who fell on hard times in the recession and agreed to front a drugs factory to make ends meet has been jailed for three years.

Kevin Gilbert, 48, a grandfather-of-three, with no previous convictions, looked shocked as he was led from the dock at Basildon Crown Court yesterday.

Gilbert agreed to front a drugs factory for a criminal gang after he was laid off from his job and left struggling to support his family during the economic downturn, the court heard.

Gilbert rented a �1,000-a-month industrial unit in Vanguard Way, Shoebury, in September last year, and ran a mock business in the front office while he tended to rows of cannabis plants out the back.

He was arrested following a police raid at the premises in April this year, during which 76 cannabis plants and 61 cuttings were seized.

Police stumbled upon the cannabis plants after finding a secret room, described at the time as a drugs Narnia, through a false door at the back of a cupboard in the warehouse.

Through the secret passageway police found a sea of cannabis plants, a crate full of herbal cannabis, and sapling plants growing in incubators.

Gilbert refused to name the other people involved in the operation, and told police he was essentially a hired gardener in the venture. His long-term partner and three grown-up children were “mortified” and “ashamed” to learn of his involvement, the court heard.

Recorder Nigel Peters said it was clear Gilbert was not the “prime mover” in the operation, but said he was a “knowing front man”.

He said: “I accept you were doing this at the behest of others who you have not named. But you knew the premises was being used to grow cannabis and stood to make a considerable financial gain after the drug was harvested.”

Gilbert, of Mansel Close, Leigh, admitted two counts of producing cannabis at an earlier hearing.

He was told he would serve at least 18 months of his sentence, and will be released on licence.

2 Comments...

Bongme

Cannabis College

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:29 +0000

Students taught how to grow marijuana in Detroit's new cannabis college
Horticulturalists, doctors and lawyers among instructors after Michigan legalises drug as a medicine

Chris McGreal in Detroit
guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 November 2009 13.27 GMT
Article history

Nick Tennant in the grow room at Detroit's Cannabis College. Photograph: Johnny Quirin/Rapport

It goes without saying that there's no smoking in class. But there is a good deal of sniffing of leaves, discussion of the finer points of inhaling and debate over which plant gives the biggest hit.

Welcome to Detroit's cannabis college, recently opened with courses on how to grow marijuana � and harvest, cook and sell it too � after Michigan legalised the drug as a medicine.

Students get instruction from horticulturalists, doctors and lawyers as well as hands-on experience cultivating plants and guidance on how to protect their stash from the criminal element.

"Growing pot by chucking seeds in the garden is fine for the recreational industry," says the college co-founder, Nick Tennant, whose wholesome and youthful appearance, including acne-covered cheeks, startles some of the more ragged-looking students. "But when we're using this from a medicinal standpoint, you really need to document your strains and your genetics. The horticultural process is very complex. If you want to do it right you're going to need to learn. There's a lot of money in this if you do it right."

With more than 1,000 medical marijuana certificates issued each month in Michigan for users and growers to sell to them, there is demand for places at MedGrow Cannabis College, located in a small office block.

Among the first students paying $475 (�285) for six evening classes are people reliant on marijuana for pain relief and those who help them, including a clergyman who runs an Aids clinic.

Then there are young men such as Ryan Hasbany, a 20-year-old business student. He's still a year too young to get a grower's licence but he wants to learn the trade. "My father is a family practice doctor and he is issuing medical marijuana cards so I know there are a lot of people getting them. It could turn into a very lucrative business. The street prices are ridiculously high," he says of medical grade marijuana, which sells at $250 (�150) an ounce in Michigan. "There's Harvard economists who say this is what we need to bring the economy back."

Hasbany has no hesitation in admitting that he might be in a good position to judge the quality of what he grows. "I smoke it. In my high school graduating class, I'd say 25% of them were smoking it," he said.

Michigan became the 14th state to legalise medicinal marijuana this year after about two-thirds of voters supported the measure in a referendum. The move reflects growing acceptance of the drug in large parts of the country. In the past week, the US's first marijuana cafe opened in Oregon and Colorado ordered cannabis sales subject to tax.

The path was carved by California, where permission to buy marijuana requires little more than telling a sympathetic doctor it would make you feel better. Attitudes are changing in Washington too, where the Obama administration has told the FBI and other federal agencies to adhere to state marijuana laws in deciding who to arrest.

For all that, there is still hesitation over identification with what is now a legal industry in Michigan.

The first class of the evening at cannabis college is led by a physician who wants to be known only as Dr Powell. "Don't mention my first name. It'll make it harder for them to identify me," he says.

Powell explains to the students the range of conditions that permit him to issue a medical marijuana certificate, from cancer and Aids to a broad category of severe chronic pain. "If someone's had back surgery or a gunshot wound," says Powell.

There are questions. "Can I get it for gout?" asks a student. Powell thinks it unlikely.

The doctor says he is not concerned about addiction but regular cannabis users should find an alternative to smoking. That's why the course also includes a cookery class with recipes as varied as hash cakes and marijuana sushi.

The horticulture lecturer is even more wary than the doctor about being identified. "They might ask how I know how to grow all this stuff," he says. "I've been doing it for rather longer than it's been legal."

He, like many of those who lecture at Cannabis College, is also a consumer because of severe injury in a bad sporting accident. Tennant obtained a medical marijuana certificate to deal with a stomach condition that causes nausea. It is what brought out his acne.

The horticulturalist pulls open a couple of large white doors that act as an entire wall at the front of the classroom. Bright white light streams through the cracks and across the classroom to reveal a den of silver-lined walls, air conditioning ducts, fans and intense lights. At the heart sit a handful of plants � some of them bushes really.

The teacher runs through soil versus hydroponics, lights (red and blue better than LED), pruning (pluck, don't cut) and the intricacies of cloning. There's an explanation of ozone generating devices to cover the smell. "You might not want the neighbours to know. You don't want them raiding your house for your supply," he says.

Pasted to the wall is a chart of the labyrinth of marijuana species, their effect on different diseases and their particular tastes.

The horticulturist explains that there's money to be made from the trade in medicinal marijuana but growers must tailor the plant to the customer's need. "There's pot that makes you not shut up for five hours. There's pot where you sit on the couch and drool for five hours. That's not what you need if you're going to hold down a job. There's thousands of people getting patient cards and they all have needs. If you can work out how to meet those individual needs you're gonna get rich," he says.

Uk :nurse Is Stopped With �50k Cannabis

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:10 +0000

Hi
A nurse from Wolverhampton who is studying for a degree at the city’s university was caught smuggling �50,000 worth of cannabis through Gatwick Airport.

Vivine Smith, 27, tried to bluff Customs officers by claiming the suitcase she had with her was not hers.

But the pregnant mother-of-one eventually pleaded guilty to unlawful importation of more than 17 kilos of the drug in herbal form.

She was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for a year, at Croydon Crown Court yesterday.

Debt-ridden Smith, of Pond Lane, Blakenhall, landed in England from Montego Bay on July 12 with her four-year-old daughter. She had three suitcases and was stopped in the Nothing to Declare green channel.

She told Customs officers one of the cases was not hers, despite having a tag with her name and address on it. Mr Alastair Smith, prosecuting, said: “The case was found to contain packages of tightly-wrapped cannabis.”

Mr. Raymond Barnett, defending, said Smith was expecting a baby in May. “She went to Jamaica to meet her partner’s family and while there she met people who organised the drug run,” he added.

“She mentioned she had debts of around �6,000 and it was suggested she could clear them by bringing in drugs.”

The court was told Smith is in the first year of a community health degree course at Wolverhampton University, working part time as an auxiliary nurse and being financed by a student loan.

Eart

Bongme

Uk : Cannabis Valued At �40,000 Found

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:59:35 +0000

Hi

Friday, 20 November 2009

Police found cannabis with an estimated street value of �40,000 when they carried out a raid in the West Midlands.

Officers carried out two raids at addresses in Hudson Road, Tipton.

A 29-year-old man was arrested for cultivating cannabis at the address where the cannabis found.

Two more men, aged 31 and 28, were arrested at an address on the same street on suspicion of possessing class A drugs.

Ear

Bongme

Uk : Train Passenger Guilty Of Carrying Drugs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:58:37 +0000

Hi

20 November 2009

A train passenger who tried to distract a drugs dog with crisps has been convicted of possessing cannabis and ecstasy.
Sefton Haughton, 28, of Queens Road, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, was stopped by police at Preston railway station after the dog signalled he was carrying illegal substances.

He had tried to distract the pooch by throwing crisps on the floor, but to no avail.

Officers found bags of white tablets in his pockets and cannabis in his bag.

Haughton pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis and ecstasy with intent to supply at Preston Crown Court and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

Ear

Bongme

Googlewhack ....

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:27:42 +0000

Anyone here made any use of googlewhacking ?

What if "Debra Bell" became googlewhacked with "knows nothing about cannabis" ?

You feel me ?

Uk : Mum Let Son Grow Cannabis In Loft

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:50:56 +0000

Hi

CRITICISM: Judge Jonathan Teare.

Friday, November 20, 2009

A MUM has been prosecuted after she allowed her teenage son to set up a cannabis factory in their loft.

She said she believed the drug was for her son's personal use, but Nottingham Crown Court heard he also intended to sell some of it to cover costs.

The plan was uncovered after police searched the house in Broxtowe Estate.

The 40-year-old mother was given a nine-month community sentence after she pleaded guilty to permitting the premises to be used for the production of cannabis.

Her son, who was 16 at the time, had previously pleaded guilty to producing the drug at youth court, and was given a 10-month referral order.

Judge Jonathan Teare told her: "Your failure was not being strong enough and not being inquisitive enough as to what your son was doing."

But the judge said he had to consider the sentence already given to her son.

"He hasn't been sent away for it so I'm not going to send you away for it," he told her. When police searched the house on October 15 last year they found growing equipment including lights and 330g of cannabis which had already been harvested and was drying out.

"She accepted she had permitted her son to grow that cannabis," said John Fountain, prosecuting.

Further drugs were found on top of the woman's bedroom wardrobe. They were not tested by police, but in interview she said they were amphetamines for her own personal use. She also pleaded guilty to attempted possession of amphetamines in connection with this.

In mitigation, Michael Evans, said: "It was accepted she was aware her son was growing cannabis, which she believed was for his own personal use, for which she was going to receive no benefit."

The mum's two young daughters also lived in the home where the cannabis was being grown.

She was given nine-month sentences for both offences, to run concurrently.

Ear

Bongme

Uk : Appeal For Help Finding Drugs Farms

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:49:38 +0000

Hi

Friday, November 20, 2009

POLICE are urging people to report buildings they suspect may have been turned into a cannabis farm.

The appeal follows police raids which saw two cannabis factories in Crewe shut down in a week.

A total of 250 cannabis plants were seized from a house in Newfield Drive last Wednesday and a teenage Vietnamese girl was arrested.

And nearly 450 plants were discovered in a terraced house in Delamere Street on Tuesday.

The plants, if fully grown and converted into cannabis, would have had a street value of about �100,000.

Sergeant Adam Butt, from Crewe Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said: "They will take over a house or business premises, knock holes in walls, ceilings and floors and bring in heating equipment and irrigation systems for the plants, as well as tons of compost.

"A lot of electrical wiring is also set up, usually bypassing the meter and introducing a considerable fire risk.

"There are a lot of clues for neighbours to spot a house which has been converted in this way. The heat generated is often noticeable outside.

"Windows are blacked out. You may also be able to hear the sound of fans working or of drums being dragged around."

Anyone who suspects a building is a cannabis farm should call Cheshire Police on 0845 458 0000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

AC

Bongme

Uk : Drug Factory In Terraced House

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:48:49 +0000

Hi

Some of the 500-plus cannabis plants growing in a resort terraced house

20 November 2009
By Joe Robinson
POLICE have uncovered a massive cannabis factory at a terraced house in Blackpool.
Officers raided an end-of-the-block house on Liverpool Road, Blackpool, yesterday, seizing more than 500 plants.

With an estimated street value of �200 per plant, the haul could have taken more than �100,000 worth of drugs off the streets.

Four people, two men, aged 32 and 36, and two women, aged 22 and 27, were arrested.

They were today being questioned by detectives on suspicion of production of class B drugs.

Detectives today told The Gazette the factory appeared to be "a professional set up".

Det Sgt Sean Burrell, who is leading the investigation, said: "We have made a significant discovery of cannabis plants at a house on Liverpool Road.

"The property is a three- bedroom terraced house and every room in the upstairs of the building had been turned over to the production of cannabis.

"This was a significant discovery and hails another success in our efforts to reduce illegal drug activity in Blackpool.

"We always welcome information from the public in our efforts to tackle this type of crime and I urge residents to pass any suspicions about drugs on to the police."

The raid took place at around 4.30pm on Wednesday and the discovery is said to have been prompted by "community intelligence".

It follows on from a series of raids throughout the week. Operation Abacus saw �21,000 cash seized along with a plethora of potentially lethal drugs including cocaine, Ecstasy, LSD and temazepam.

An imitation firearm was also seized as specialist officers raided 17 addresses in Grange Park, Layton, Blackpool, Ansdell and St Annes.

Ten suspected dealers were arrested.

Ear

Bongme

The Botany Of Cannabis

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:51:52 +0000

Hi

Bongme