Cannabis in the closet - video (From Malvern Gazette)
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Cannabis in the closet - video
9:41am Tuesday 13th December 2011 in Police Blogs
By Richard Vernalls, @rvernallsWN #worcsnews
CRACKDOWN: PC Richard Foxall with the suspected cannabis plants
POLICE discovered what they said was cannabis growing inside a wardrobe during raids on homes as part a crackdown on suspected thieves and drug dealers.
More than 40 West Mercia Police officers were involved in Operation Christmas Crackdown, although the results brought anything but goodwill to the occupiers of the 23 homes targeted.
Thirteen people were arrested yesterday as officers discovered everything from cannabis to class A drugs including crack and heroin, and a loaded crossbow.
The Worcester News was given special access to the operation, which is running all week.
Superintendent Steve Cullen, operation commander, said the aim was to arrest 100 suspected robbers, burglars and drug-dealers by the end of the week.
Addressing officers before the launch of the operation, he said: “I will keep this short as we want to get out there.
In essence, we’re showing them our gang is bigger than theirs.
Superintendent Steve Cullen
"But in essence, we’re showing them our gang is bigger than theirs.”
Uniformed police, CID detectives, traffic and intelligence divisions had all been brought in for the co-ordinated strike to disrupt Christmas for “known robbers, burglars and drug dealers”.
Officers from Warwickshire Police helped with traffic operations, with officers looking for “vehicles of interest” used by known criminals, as well as uninsured drivers and the like.
Normal police operations were continuing all day.
Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Simon Chesterman said the crackdown was ahead of Christmas when “crime tends to spike” as crooks prey on people buying Christmas gifts.
He said: “We will be coming through their doors, we will be arresting them and we will be bringing them to justice.”
Following the seven-strong team of officers of Charlie Victor Three, the first warrant was served at a house in Walnut Avenue, Brickfields.
The early morning raid had neighbours’ curtains twitching. No arrests were made.
Meanwhile, in Teme Road, Warndon, their colleagues recovered a loaded crossbow, although no arrests were made.
After a quick debrief at the police station, officers of 'Charlie Victor Three' were sent to serve another drugs warrant on a maisonette in Elgar Avenue, Malvern.
Police put the door in with two blows and uncovered what they said were three cannabis plants in a grower hidden in a wardrobe, along with two bags of herbal cannabis.
A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis.
Officers used body-worn cameras to record entry and evidence.
DCC Chesterman accompanied the Malvern team, while Sgt Peter Frankish, the team’s leader, was pleased with the result.
He said: “We forced entry, found two bags of what we believe is herbal cannabis and evidence of cultivation and two people have been arrested.
"All in all, it’s a good result.”
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Read – and comment on - our police blogs in our features section here |
Arrests
• A man was arrested in Ennerdale Close, Warndon, on suspicion of burglary.
• A male youth was arrested in Wasdale Court, Warndon, on suspicion of burglary.
• A man was arrested in Henwick Road, St John’s, on suspicion of theft.
• A man and a woman were detained in Elgar Avenue, Malvern, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis and the production of cannabis.
• Two men were arrested in Langdale Drive, Warndon, on suspicion of theft from a car.
• A man was arrested in Lansdowne Road, Worcester, on suspicion of possession of a class A drug.
• A man was arrested in Foregate Street, Worcester, on suspicion of fraud.
• A man was arrested in London Road, Worcester, on suspicion of criminal damage.
Comments(37)
CJH
says...
10:38am Tue 13 Dec 11
varien
says...
11:27am Tue 13 Dec 11
iamconcernedbythis
says...
11:53am Tue 13 Dec 11
Was it a good result because the door went in with two swings of the hammer instead of three swings or because they arrested two people instead of one person ? It can't be deemed a good result due to the amount of criminal activity that was uncovered at those premises as these two people are obviously not in it for the money, in which case they should be let off for having a small amount of personal in there possession. That is the outcome that any sensible law enforcement agency would have reached on such an occassion. Even though I do not know these two unfortunate victims, I am sure that this incident has done them more harm than the plants growing in there ward drobe could ever do. Why is this treatment of members of the public by police acceptable ? It should not be acceptable, it should be against the law.
West Mercia Police
says...
12:02pm Tue 13 Dec 11
http://www.westmerci
a.police.uk/news/new
s-articles/metal-the
ft-action-day-succes
s-worcester.html
http://www.westmerci
a.police.uk/news/new
s-articles/vehicles-
seized-in-operation-
to-combat-fuel-and-m
etal-thefts.html
We continue to look at this area of criminality, though this is not the focus of this particular initiative.
CJH
says...
12:12pm Tue 13 Dec 11
Vergil
says...
12:28pm Tue 13 Dec 11
iamconcernedbythis wrote:You serious?
"Police put the door in with two blows and uncovered what they said were three cannabis plants in a grower hidden in a wardrobe, along with two bags of herbal cannabis....All in all, it’s a good result.”
Was it a good result because the door went in with two swings of the hammer instead of three swings or because they arrested two people instead of one person ? It can't be deemed a good result due to the amount of criminal activity that was uncovered at those premises as these two people are obviously not in it for the money, in which case they should be let off for having a small amount of personal in there possession. That is the outcome that any sensible law enforcement agency would have reached on such an occassion. Even though I do not know these two unfortunate victims, I am sure that this incident has done them more harm than the plants growing in there ward drobe could ever do. Why is this treatment of members of the public by police acceptable ? It should not be acceptable, it should be against the law.
You make it sound as though the police just picked on any old random door they could find, put it in and with a stroke of luck they happened to find some drugs!
This address would've no doubt been targeted for a reason and more than likely based on intelligence or information received from the likes of you and I (members of public in case you're wondering).
I doubt the police knew exactly what they were going to find, whether it be one small joint or a loft laden with cannabis plants!
Why do you label the occupants as victims? Do you know them? Do you know their history? Do you know how hard they work for a living to be entitled to wind down with a joint or two for "personal use"?
I'm also confused as to why you think this is ill treatment by the police and doing their job (by public consent) should be made illegal? What a bizarre thought!
handytrim
says...
12:42pm Tue 13 Dec 11
A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis and possession of cannabis.
Hardly the bust of the century and not really worth bragging about. I'd say more of a waste of my tax money. How about focusing on the bigger gang operated well organised grow operations that produce the majority of cannabis. It is only a matter of time before we fall in-line with the rest of Europe (even though we seem to not want to fully join them) and the rest of the world and change our outdated law in regards to cannabis as what we have in place at present is ludicrously expensive and a most painfully obvious failure where around 3 tonnes of cannabis is consumed every day yet police think by busting people growing a couple of plants is having any kind of impact.
I'm all for supporting the police tackling REAL crime and agree that there is a link between the mass production of cannabis and other criminal activity. Which is why myself and it would appear the majority of people, including many within the police force itself, agree that prohibition does nothing more than increase criminal activity.
There are those who oppose this on morale grounds, but how morale is it to allow the persecution of those who use cannabis as a legitimate, often suggested by a GP, medicine. What right do you have to pass judgement on often painfully ill people? You might not agree with allowing another vice into society. But what you fail to understand is that it is ALREADY here and the only people who truly benefit from its production and distribution are highly organised criminals who currently earn around £6billion simply because of deep-seated prejudice, hypocrisy and corruption within our government.
SteveSimpson
says...
1:02pm Tue 13 Dec 11
Yet another complete and utter waste of tax payers money and yet another dent in our already weak economy. Legalise and regulate! It is the ONLY answer to this. Prohibition will not stop us using cannabis and as long as there is a demand there will be a supply. If cannabis was regulated and taxed, just as alcohol and tobacco are (which are far more dangerous than cannabis - FACT), it would take the supply out of criminality, give some relief to our over populated prisons and give our economy the desperately needed boost. When are our politicians going to make decisions on science fact instead of what fills their pockets? Our politicians are oozing with BS for their own gain, don't conform to it! Say NO to prohibition!
RobYoung
says...
1:09pm Tue 13 Dec 11
There is a simple reason why crime is associated with drug use and that reason is drug prohibition. This policy has never and can never work, it drives prices sky high so there will always be an insentive to sell and we know the demand is out there.
Society needs to grow up, millions of people use drugs everyday regardless of the law.
rpjones
says...
1:25pm Tue 13 Dec 11
0 police in britain and an estimated 3 million users of cannabis,I know which gang I'd rather be in.
Endconreignforever
says...
1:34pm Tue 13 Dec 11
lianeanddave
says...
2:50pm Tue 13 Dec 11
dulon wrote:With regards to the point made The use of cannabis is far less harmful than alcohol or nicotine 2 things i would like to raise you say cannabis is less harmful than nicotine... but you smoke tobacco with cannabis???? so in effect it is as harmful? also it is proven that it can be a cause of mental health problems
I wish that some of this effort was directed toward the metal thieves.
The use of cannabis is far less harmful than alcohol or nicotine . So why not decriminalise it and save the effort.
If anything why not have a crackdown on the purveyors of alcohol to under age drinkers and the promotion of cool to under age smokers.
You can always say no.
handytrim
says...
3:00pm Tue 13 Dec 11
@Endconreignforever I don't think it could have been said any better! Who are the real victims of prohibition? More importantly we should also ask who GAINS from prohibition and thereafter why it is prohibition is still allowed to continue when we ALL know it doesn't work! It certainly revolves around ££££ within certain crowds. Unfortunately those crowds don't involve the public and those who could really benefit from more funds. It would seem that it goes to those who crave power and dominance over equality and justice.
dulon
says...
3:29pm Tue 13 Dec 11
What we can all agree with is that the consumption of alcohol can have serious long term effects . Hence alcoholism.
Also the regular infusion of legitimate
tobacco products can also have long term health effects . Hence we have smoking bans and various other recognitions of the effects of smoking
such as lung cancer and heart disease.
I would suggest that the casual user of cannabis does not smoke 40 spliffs a day. But is more inclined to indulge when it is convenient. The user may also prefer to eat the substance. This I believe will not be as dangerous as smoking.
In fact it is not unknown that some users will only eat the stuff.
The 73 year old lady in I have in mind is suffering from severe back pain and is in agony . Smoking however is a total taboo to her.
Thank you WM police for pointing out your praiseworthy efforts in OCTOBER re metal thefts I did in fact congratulate you at the time through these columns.
However the frequency of these events does suggest that there is still an ongoing issue....
mazari
says...
3:52pm Tue 13 Dec 11
mazari
says...
3:55pm Tue 13 Dec 11
David John Powell
says...
7:26pm Tue 13 Dec 11
Obviously personal use the plant in the tent would barely cover a persons use for a month or two when it matures.
How is this a result? This is a total and utter waste of public money, taxes and time.
The only positive result this provides is pumping endless sums of money into the pockets of those who are employed within the business of "prohibition". Thats the lawyers, court staff, court ushers, cleaners, prison staff, technical experts. This is a total and utter sham, the only people benefiting from this pathetic cannabis seizure are those hell bent on the spreading of misleading and non-sensical propoganda about drugs.
Look at that tent in the wardrobe, it's the most basic model, the smallest available. Leave these innocent smokers alone. Sooner we get it legalised the sooner we can end the alcohol problems this country is stained with. Yes, Alcohol is a DRUG too, no different to any other, as it nicotine, the two biggest killers of all drugs are legal.
This system is outdated and limp reporting such as this is only doing this entire country a penile injustice.
See you in Crown Court soon.
David John Powell
says...
7:41pm Tue 13 Dec 11
This is a victimless crime in someones own house; alteast it was without victims until the police turned the poor growers house into a doorless barn. After this is a standard right of passage through a court system filled with little more than politically castrated and uptight control freaks that will further blight the lives of these innocent victims of prohibition.
I use cannabis medically to treat symptoms of my Manic Depressive Disorder, it's brilliant, miracle cure. I'll be down in Worcester Crown early next year on similar charges.
I couldn't care less about it. Cause I am right and they are wrong! I'll still be using Cannabis everyday unless I get a death sentence. I'll make sure the person picking me up from prison brings my pipe and bit to smoke.
Model citizen me, smoke cannabis everyday, eat whole foods, work out 2hrs a day, cycle everywhere, read books, grow my intelligence.
I look at articles like this and makes me weap as to what this country has become, mainly due to this type of biased scaremongering nonsense.
s1nnah
says...
8:42pm Tue 13 Dec 11
Theres one thing I can say for certain. no crime has been commited here. There is no way these poor lads would have grown these three little plants for three months, giving them love, care and attention only to sell it and be back to buying .8 of a gram for £10 within a couple of weeks.
no what these lads did was say no to prohibition. they decided to take the money out of criminal hands and become self sufficient. guaranteeing themselves good quality pot for christmas.
All around us attitudes towards cannabis and its users are changing. approx 6million canna users in the uk 700 odd hospital admissions. 30 million alcohol users is around 50k hospital admissions in 2011. you do the maths.
legalise and regulate.
jovialcommonsense
says...
9:08am Wed 14 Dec 11
When alcohol was first used it was seen as a good way of avoiding diseased water and therefore a good cause.
When tobacco was introduced it was not seen as harmful for about 300 years.
What knowledge do we NOT have now that future generations will see us as primitive?
varien
says...
11:05am Wed 14 Dec 11
"Model citizen me, smoke cannabis everyday, eat whole foods, work out 2hrs a day, cycle everywhere, read books, grow my intelligence."
You forgot to mention working. That is assuming you have a job of course.
David John Powell
says...
1:03pm Wed 14 Dec 11
David John Powell
says...
1:08pm Wed 14 Dec 11
smybipolar.blogspot.
com/
It's all on the blog.
danny mc
says...
2:09pm Wed 14 Dec 11
varien
says...
6:08pm Wed 14 Dec 11
A very good friend of mine suffered from manic depression the cause of which was identified, by the medical profession, as cannabis use. He used cannabis on a regular basis for over 40 years and it eventually destroyed his career and marriage. He used to grow his own cannabis and the crunch came when his 15 year old son, who was so fed up with his father's behaviour, destroyed the plants. His father's reaction was to beat up his son so badly he needed hospital treatment - it was me who took him to hospital. From that point onward things went from bad to worse.
This, together with other encounters with cannabis users - all negative - is why have little or no time for those that advocate its use.
David John Powell
says...
7:09pm Wed 14 Dec 11
I am sure if you had even the faintest idea about being manic depressive you would see that failing to be treated effectively for manic depression is what lead to this persons downfall, people were too busy blaming cannabis cause of misleading and casual links that manifest from the right-wing-papers you probably read each day.
If you had the faintest idea about the condition of manic depression, you would understand that is generally a condition that worsens with time and with each episode, it's cyclic and the gameplan changes all the time. It's a day to day battle with the devil.
Maybe your "friend" was suffering the effects of mania at the time of this hospitalisation, most people are. I can quarantee you that the effects of mania are stronger than any drug you can legally or illegally obtain. It's effects are similar to that of LSD combined with PCP or Crack Cocaine.
If you get in the way of someone suffering mania of this degree, psychosis and near schtizopheric: you will find they have super-human-strength
, zero ability to control their actions, hense they term if psychotic features. The suffers behaviour is typical of a person suffering a psychotic disorder and in no way does this persons behaviour manifested from or portay the effects of cannabis use.
The effects of manic depression, mania; these are the same effects as those caused by excessive drug use, such as being strung out on stimulants, manic depression is a drug of it's own. Infact drugs are just trying to replicate the effect and feeling of manic depression be that downers or uppers.
Drugs act on neurotransmitters, the same ones going haywire in person who has Manic Depression, it's the same fuctionality in the brain being manipulated in two different ways.
Manic depression is the motion of the ocean, it's relentless and never ends; cannabis and it's effects are just a drop in that ocean. The effects of cannabis are probably like 1% of the potential that the manic depression can inflict by bending a persons behaviour from pole to pole.
Cannabis's effect compared to manic depression is like a cup of tea being cannabis versus a litre of vodka being manic depression.
It's easy to lack even the faintest idea about what you believe you have a right to comment on when you have absolutely no experience of these things, as such is obvious.
It's plainly about as good as it gets for an outsider to say a manic depressives problems were caused by cannabis. The guy seeks cannabis cause he has a MASSIVE UGLY problem inside him. Ignorants like you drove this man to these acts by removing the only thing he had access to that dampened the absolute misery he deals with privately day to day.
Like many people are held together by alcohol, most of them in denial depressives.
People like you should be ashamed of going around claiming moral high ground; when you haven't the knowledge about the subject of which you speak by those of blinkered observer. Your level of knowledge warrents your opinion worthly of no notable form of recognition bar by people of very blinkered perception.
Regards. David
varien
says...
6:14pm Thu 15 Dec 11
Yet another cannabis user unable to accept criticism and respect the views of others.
Your last rant only serves to strenghen my contempt for those that use cannabis.
David John Powell
says...
9:20pm Thu 15 Dec 11
"Count of finished admission episodes (FAE) with a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids (ICD10 code F12) and alcohol (ICD10 code F10)
Cannabinoids (F12)
2009-10 713
2010-11 799
Alcohol (F10)
2009-10 47,402
2010-11 47,287
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care."
jovialcommonsense
says...
10:53pm Thu 15 Dec 11
Using your 2010/11 figures above:
Estimated 6,000,000 cannabis users in the UK mean that 0.133% are FAE.
Estimated 46,000,000 (I do not accept s1nnah 30m figure above) alcohol users in the UK mean that 0.115% are FAE.
Does that appear to suggest alcohol is safer?
Fortunately, I am not in your situation so cannot understand your dilemma. However surely you can appreciate others, for whatever reason, are just as passionate in their views as you.
I can understand your bewilderment as to why cannabis cannot be a prescribed drug, but all drugs have different side affects for different people, so I am sceptical about it becoming freely available.
Currently the law states cannabis use is illegal so the police must do their job and it is up to parliament to make any law changes.
If you were willing to enter in to debate using your knowledge on the subject rather than ranting at those with other views I am sure you could make progress.
mazari
says...
9:49am Fri 16 Dec 11
Thousands of otherwise law abiding, hard working people in this country have been criminalised because they have chosen to use this natural herbal substance, on the sole basis that our Government has decided it is ‘harmful’. Gordon Brown went so far as to describe cannabis as “lethal” in spite of the fact that there has never been a single recorded death attributable to cannabis use. We know what happened when his appointed Chief Scientific Advisor spoke out against this ridiculous statement that has absolutely no basis in factual evidence.
I know personally of a man who was told by a Judge in a court of law in response to his defence claim that he was harming nobody else in his choice to use cannabis that he had “committed a crime against himself”. I don’t know about others, but personally I find that to be quite ridiculous. My point is that where a responsible adult chooses to grow and use cannabis within his or her own home that person is not interfering with anybody else’s life, neither is that person harming anybody else, and these two criteria are the fundamental principles of English Common Law.
In addition there are now hundreds of peer reviewed research papers that reach the conclusion that cannabis is a “relatively harmless substance”. The biggest hypocrisy is that this same Government have granted a cultivation licence to GW Pharmaceuticals to grow thousands of cannabis plants from which Sativex is produced. The Chairman of that company Dr Geoffrey Guy is quoted as saying: "My professional view of cannabis as a substance is that it appears to be a remarkably safe substance in comparison to most medicines prescribed today”. This is a view shared by health professionals around the world.
Something is badly wrong here, and every time I read a report of yet another front door broken in and a small personal grow of a few plants leading to yet another criminal record I will have my say and post my comments. This barbaric practice that flies completely in the face of scientific evidence must end.
jovialcommonsense
says...
7:04am Sat 17 Dec 11
If, as you say, cannabis is harmless then why is the govt continuing to keep it illegal? Does the govt know something you are not telling us?
You argue that it is wrong to persecute those growing their own supply for health reasons. Does that mean you are happy for them to grow tobacco also, if they smoke the cannabis?
Surely it is best to promote the use of cannabis via prescription and the growing to be done by legalised, licensed companies.
The idea that it should be legal for anyone to grow it would quickly be lost to money making schemes, and those that need it and unable to grow it, put at the mercy of unregulated others.
In the meantime the police have to uphold the current laws.
mazari
says...
10:01am Sun 18 Dec 11
Interesting reply. Cannabis Law Reform (CLEAR) of which I am a member advocates the licensing and regulation of small 'personal' grows of up to 6 plants. My own objection to the current law is more on Human Rights grounds. Up until the age of 50 I had never once been in trouble with the law. I had worked hard since leaving school, had held down a demanding job, bought a nice home etc. Through much of that time I had used cannabis as a relaxant after a long day, in much the same way as my colleagues would go home and pour a G&T. I grew my own cannabis for probably 15 years, never bothering anybody else, I sat and smoked it in my own garden. One day 6 police officers came through my front door and removed my plants, searched my home and arrested me. I was fingerprinted, mugshot, had DNA extracted and was locked in a cell for 7 hours before questioning. The police were fine, my wife even made them a cup of tea! The leading officer said with in a few minutes it was 'personal'. One told me they were used to rooms full of 5 foot plants, mine were just 18"tall in full flower and I had taken years to genetically select just 2 strains. I walked out of the police station at 9pm and later received a caution. It took me just 48 hrs to find a local 'dealer', such is the abundance of cannabis in the UK today. This is how prohibition works, or rather fails, cannabis use will not go away, I know people from so many walks of life who use cannabis including several nurses, a teacher, a self employed central heating engineer, a senior civil servant of 28 years service, I could go on. I don't grow anymore and I don't keep the stuff around as I prefer to be free to speak my mind, but the bottom line for me is that cannabis (and other drug use) should be a health issue and not a criminal offence. many other EU countries are now moving in that direction. As for tobacco, well I don't know as I have never smoked the stuff beyond trying once at school! Bring cannabis into line with alcohol and tobacco, make it available only to over 18's and regulate it in the same manner, it IS actually a far less harmful substance after all as is statistically proven beyond any doubt.
jovialcommonsense
says...
1:43pm Sun 18 Dec 11
As I have stated before I am not pro or anti,but have concerns for the wider community because most problems are caused by a minority, with a selfish attitude.
I am happy to agree with your comment, especially the last sentence.
mazari
says...
3:06pm Wed 21 Dec 11
stevester
says...
2:54pm Thu 29 Dec 11
I believe that if the cannabis was for their own personal use and to be used in the privacy of their own home then there is no crime there period . If anything they were doing the police a favour by not buying cannabis from local criminals and gangs who use that cash to buy guns to kill the police .
At the end of the day it is against your human rights for someone / the Government to tell you what you can and cant put in your own body or do with your body . Remember it used to be a sin , criminal act in the UK to be homosexual does anybody remember the aids propaganda and so on .
There are some sad comments here and some sad victims of the prohibitionist propaganda machine and if you think the Government is correct in keeping drugs illegal against all the evidence then ask yourself this . Why is our Government agreeing with criminals , gangs and terrorists that drugs should remain illegal ? And why do they let GW Pharma make sativex when wee told cannabis has no medical value ?
mary james
says...
12:12pm Mon 2 Jan 12
lazy work by senior officers looking to tick boxes and send messages rather than preventing real crime.
dulon says...
10:13am Tue 13 Dec 11
The use of cannabis is far less harmful than alcohol or nicotine . So why not decriminalise it and save the effort.
If anything why not have a crackdown on the purveyors of alcohol to under age drinkers and the promotion of cool to under age smokers.
You can always say no.