Cannabis

[southeast-isher]

Just been thinking about the sheer carbon footprint that must be had from the production of cannabis and i guess then the result of purchasing cannabis. Whether it be transporting hash 2832 miles in a diesel tankard or produced locally with energy intensive hydroponics. And that doesn't touch on the possible revolutions/uprisings that it can help finance. Only mentioning this here as a lot of green folk i know seem to like their weed! What are your thoughts?

[snapdragon]

nod nod - intensive use of electricity when grown in this country, although many years ago my freind's uncle was growing it as a decorative plant in his cornish greenhouse, so maybe growing your own for your own use wouldn't use so much energy

[John Headstrong]

while the carbon footprint of cannabis can be large it is the other popular drugs that can be mush more environmentally destructive.

MDMA/Ecstasy is destroying forests in Cambodia. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79340
Cocaine users are destroying the rainforest - at 4 square metres a gram http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/no ... s-calderon

and it is common knowledge that Heroin is grown in Afghanistan (indeed UK/US troops are protecting the crop)

At least cannabis is a renewable crop, indeed fair trade cannabis could be a option for many less well off nations, with the added benefits that it can grow anywhere, in any climate, and requires no herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or insecticides to grow well, It is its own fertilizer, its own herbicide (it is a weed), and its own pesticide. They use less water than cotton and other cash crops.

I know many dope smokers that would rather give the money to a poor farmer so that he can put his children into school than a leather jacket wearing "dealer" that just spends it on a 5 series BMW.

[southeast-isher]

Check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQe4XVrJFGQ

[mrsflibble]

I know many dope smokers that would rather give the money to a poor farmer so that he can put his children into school than a leather jacket wearing "dealer" that just spends it on a 5 series BMW.

me too. I'm sure it's why quite a few people in the uk grow their own.

[jim]

Agree with John Headstrong. Better still, allow small scale home growth for private use. Keep the gangsters out of the loop,

Love and Peace
Jim

[southeast-isher]

sounds like a good plan Jim!

Love your signature by the way:

The law will punish man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the Common
But lets that greater thief go loose
Who steals the Common from the goose.

[seasidegirl]

I tried cannabis many years ago and didn't like it. The person who offered it to me would have been the same age as me had he not sadly died in later years of a heroin overdose.

Anyway I still think each to their own, apart obviously from my kids who I hope will steer clear, but I do smoke tobacco.

Have just ordered some seed and am going to try for my first crop for my own use shortly. I don't think it should be that hard to grow, I've grown the night scented nicotiana very successfully. Suspect that the drying, cutting and storing will be the challenge.

Going back to the cannabis I would definitely try again if I ever needed an alternative source of pain relief.

[southeast-isher]

I used to smoke it but got fed up with it and haven't touched it since. Cigars are my passion now. Would be interested to know how your growing tobacco grows Seasidegirl! :-)

[seasidegirl]

I'll keep you informed but obviously the first people to know will be the Inland Revenue when I contact them, as required, to pay them the appropriate duty ...

[southeast-isher]

You're joking, you have to do that?! I'm off to France by ferry soon i hope to get a stash of cigars.

[Thomzo]

Speaking as someone who is very anti drugs, this article did make me laugh yesterday http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news ... h_roof___/

A SEA of green was the first thing police saw as they burst in to Swindon’s biggest cannabis factory.

The drug farm, tucked away in the former West Bromwich Bank on the corner of Morley Street and Commercial Road, was bursting with almost 2,000 plants – from the tiniest shoots to those ready for harvest.

A crowd of shoppers whipped out digital cameras and mobile phones to record the moments when nine police officers and three council binmen formed a chain gang to deposit the haul in the back of a lorry.

Sgt Kate Stalder, leading yesterday’s operation, said: “This is certainly the largest haul I have ever seen.

“Judging by the plants I’d say that we got here at just the right time. There are quite a few here ready for harvesting so much longer and we could have been looking at tens of thousands of pounds of cannabis on the streets of Swindon.”

Sgt Stalder calculated that 1,000 plants would be equal to 72 kilograms (158.7lbs) with a street value of £250,000.

Police first raided the premises on Monday after being alerted by a power company that the use of electricity at the address was phenomenally high.

The police helicopter was scrambled and the roof showed up on their thermal imaging equipment as white with heat.

Two Vietnamese men, one 18 and one 20, were arrested in connection with cultivating the crop, which was separated into eight rooms across two floors.

Sgt Stalder said: “They had been living and sleeping in a block of toilets on the first floor of the building and were in the squalid room when police burst in.

“The set-up was very professionally executed.

“There were plants in all stages of growth. When the electricity company came in, it took them hours to make the building safe before we could start clearing.

“We had officers here throughout the night and went back in as soon as it was light to start clearing the plants.”

The plants were taken away by Swindon Council’s commercial services team to be destroyed.

I know the banks are in a bad way, but this is a bit of an extreme way of boosting their bonuses.

Zoe

[Millymollymandy]

Good one Zoe but it makes me laugh more that there were all those nice warm rooms that the cannabis was growing in, yet the growers were living in the toilet? Hmmmmm.

[jim]

Thanks southeast-isher, it's a Leveller/Digger chorus from civil war times protesting about enclosure of the free commons, driving people from the land and preventing them from being self-sufficient.

Thomzo, brilliant observation at the end of your piece!

MMM, poor things were probably working off the money they owed to human traffickers who couldn't care less about workers conditions. Like I said, keep the gangsters out of the loop!

Love and Peace
Jim

[marshlander]

Isn't there a legal use for canabis? Couldn't the plants have been processed rather than destroyed? I saw a prog about fakes the other day and was pleased to see seized fake designer clothes being distributed - minus the lables - to the homeless.