Saturday, February 23, 2008

Cannabis Culture in Classy Communities


In jolly England, the price of a marijuana joint is much less than its American counterpart, because dealers don't have to create elaborate schemes and covert import operations to get it to this market. It's grown in commercial quantities right at the heart of upper and middle class communities. In the leafy suburban areas of West Midlands, along the picturesque river communities of the Thames Valley, through Upper Redlands Road in Reading, and into East Berkshire, West Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire; cannabis plantations and factories exist in style and elegance. Leave it to the English to add a touch of class to this cash crop.

The West Midlands area yielded more than 300 factories in 2007, leading to the arrest of 17 youthful illegal immigrants from Vietnam who were apparently used by syndicates as plant caretakers. Only growers have been apprehended, since these illegals could not venture out of their respective locations. They are provided with a TV set and made to sleep on mattresses. Authorities also uncovered 123 factories in Thames Valley, up from 42 in 2006. Along the spread of these areas and neighboring communities, the number of factories discovered has increased threefold. With the volume in each location and the number of factories inside these communities, Police concede, it is a growing problem.

The operations begin with smartly dressed friendly people inquiring about property rentals from estate agents. They select a location and pay 2 months or more in advance upfront. Once taken, the place is stripped and walls are removed, to make way for heating equipment and special lighting to assist in plant growth. These installations cause electricity overloads. Abandoned properties have been left in disrepair with landlords coughing up thousands of pounds in electricity bills. Energy companies have also been victimized by the perpetrators since most bypass the meters by rewiring directly to the street main cables. Each factory can produce as much as 70,000 pounds in 11 or 12 weeks. Landlords have been advised to check references and make regular visits to their property to avoid such misuse. A factory was discovered in Buckinghamshire when fire caused by electrical overload consumed 50% of the property. Police investigating teams also found the place booby trapped. The report failed to mention if anyone was hurt by a booby trap because the investigators got high during the probe. Or, if they had lots of fun doing it.

Cannabis or marijuana is tolerated in England for limited use, although recent studies about causing psychiatric problems persuaded the government to classify this as a class C rather than class B drug. Police have been instructed not to arrest adults possessing marijuana for their medical use. Looking at the number of factories in upper bracket communities where rent can be pricey, the English countryside is experiencing a medical problem of epidemic proportions.

The countryside suburban population of roughly 3 to 4 million must all be middle age and above citizens, who enjoy living in the quiet peaceful neighborhood surrounded by natures greenery, sloping hills and gently flowing river; sipping a cup of tea among friends while enjoying a dose of organic medication. Getting high with products made in England. How absolutely exquisite.

Haarrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, it isn't legal in any way in England. And you have it backward.

It was placed into the C classification in 2004 by the previous government.

Recent scare mongering by UK newspapers and other media resulting from two interesting but limited studies relating cannabis use at a young age with increased onset of schizophrenia in certain groups who have a genetic predilection for schizophrenia has caused the current government to attempt to reclassify it into the class B category.

This is the third study to determine the optimum classification for cannabis in the space of three years, and it is mostly motivated by political druthers, meaning Gordon Brown wants it reclassified because, as a Scottish politician, he hates cannabis and wants all who use it punished severely.

Arrest continues to be a choice for police who can also choose to issue a police "caution." What they do generally speaking depends upon where you are in the UK.

And finally, there seems to be an affirmative defense for the sick, who are still, however, regularly arrested and tried on cannabis use and possession and production charges, which has arisen out of past judicial precedent, meaning former decisions in similar cases, although no actual legislation exists on the subject.

But in no way is cannabis legal in England. Period.

Anonymous said...

wow...perhaps anon ought to go on a bit of a mission to find some of the leafy substance and roll it into some brownies or something. Sorry..My attorney alert just went off!!! LOL

T

Kim said...

Goodness Durano !!...and to think I lived in London for two years (in the early 80's).....
obviously the problem is a huge one and thank you for your very informative expose...fancy rewiring to the street cables !!
unbelievable !!!

Tapline said...

Brad,,,,Excellent post...I have had very little exposure to this weed, but I was had experiences with people who used it in Thailand. They called it Black Gold. But....I was so upset when I found it being used where I was I exploded and the users departed post-haste.....stay well....

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Anonymous,

You're right about Cannabis not being legal in England, I guess I carelessly used the wrong word. My statement was related to "...Police being instructed not to arrest adults who use it for medication purposes..." meaning its limited use for medication is allowed, not legal.

Arrests are dependent on whim, volume in possession, age, and location, which is basically discriminatory. However, adults do have some leeway especially if they have some doctor to back them up.

Sources I quoted state that Cannabis was reclassified from Class B to C. Either you're more informed about this and my news media source is incorrect, or it's the other way around.

Whatever it is, thanks for the informative comment and the visit. You're right too about the political figures who probably had a bad singular experience, or none at all, with the plant. Peace Man! :-)--Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Tommy,

I think he could be in the thick of developments regarding Cannabis use in the UK or in the European continent itself.

Brownies are good, but to put it in cocktails is much better. Or to add it as part of herbs in cooking,it makes the food highly satisfying and intoxicatingly habitual. :-)--Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hello Kim,

Gangsters and syndicates have some of the most creative people in the world, unfortunately these are mis-directed.

The world produces the noblest of men and the worst of scoundrels; given the same set of brains, their choices are dependent upon the strongest influence in their lives and in the development of passion for a cause they can believe and accept.

Anyway, it's one of the brighter and darker sides to reality that people want to set aside, have a good time, and fly to a world they're comfortable in. The problem is, those who provide the vehicle use all sorts of shenanigans to get them there. That's because it has not been legalized. Objective comprehensive studies really ought to be done on this much maligned plant whose benefits continue to be the subject of so many disputes.
;-) --Durano, done!

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Tapline,

That was a bad experience you described, enough to let paranoia set in. Being left in a place where you tried it for the first time and in a foreign country at that can be traumatic.

Black gold is known to be a spiked variety that could be too strong. Some of these things can cause heart failure according to some. It's not certain though if those who had attacks were actually prone to it and not caused by the weed.

I'm suddenly curious,how did you crawl out of the place? Did you get any help or did you just let it flow? :-) --Durano, done!

Anonymous said...

ahh yes...the cooking of herbs...what better way to get sto..errrrr intoxicated with food joy....?? Maybe that works...Peace bto...oh and I don't know exactly how ya do it (herbs perhaps notwitstanding), but I do encourage you to keep doing what ya do....U Rock!

Not in a crystal meth or whatever kind of way either...slow and steady...like a J burn...oops...dammit..my bad. It may be the KC red bud talkin'...."who said that?" What? Oh nevermind.
Peace..........T

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Tommy,

I don't know if you came across my post about the Seven stories where I partly mentioned my science experiment in college about exotic substances. Anyway, it has been a long time ago.:-)

If and when I do have the opportunity to expand horizons, I do it for very profound reasons coupled with deep introspections and philosophical dissertations. And, most important, it has to be organic to be healthy.:-)

What you seem to have expressed here is a paranoia of solid rock proportions that's crystal clear for anyone to see. Keep it safe pal.:-) --Durano, done!

Anonymous said...

It’s hardly surprising that there’s confusion over the classification of cannabis in the UK -- it’s shifted back and forth between Categories B and C more often than a stoner forgets what they’re saying.

Had to giggle at the photo of the idyllic leafy waterways, as though you can drift along the river in your wee boat, grabbing handfuls of dope as you go! I lived on a narrow boat for a few months in 2006, and if anywhere like that exists, I never found it!

Must just say this, D, in comment above you mention having used the wrong word in saying it’s ‘legal’ in UK, but you then use ‘allowed’. Neither is really the case, but its use is ‘tolerated’ in certain circumstances, however, defining these circumstances is difficult due to the variables involved.

For instance, the demographic of the accused -- black, white, young, old, professional, unemployed, educated, illiterate, rich, poor, ad nauseum, then factor in the policy of the police force handling the case, and the whim of the arresting officers, and you can see for yourself that it gets quite tricky;-)

durano lawayan a.k.a. brad spit said...

Hi Reward Rebel,
Thanks for the correction. You're right, the word is tolerated. I know the many interpretations of this word too when it boils down to a subjective assessment of what can be tolerated, who can be tolerated, how much can be tolerated, when it can be tolerated, where it can be tolerated, and who is doing the tolerating.:-)

I guess the best thing is not getting caught, right? :-)

This reminds me of a question to me once which goes..." What is better than presence of mind in a railway collision?"

ANS. Absence of Body
--Durano, done!

Anonymous said...

i live in milton keynes.. it sucks when the police find a factory.. always causes a drought for a few days.. until the dealers find a new source i guess. haha.

Anonymous said...

added to my rss reader