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Sweden 'self-sufficient' on marijuana: police

Published: 12 Nov 12 09:45 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/44370/20121112/

Reports of home-grown marijuana in Sweden have quadrupled in the last decade, according to police, who claim there is now enough domestically-grown weed to supply the needs of Sweden's pot-smokers.

The Swedish National Bureau of Investigation (Rikskriminalpolisen) has said police currently receive more than 600 reports annually about illegal pot growing operations.

”We’re finding medium sized cultivations scattered across the country,” said Andreas Gårdlund, an analyst at the agency, to the Sydsvenskan newspaper.

In 2000, the most common type of marijuana farm was a large-scale operation in an isolated house tucked away in the heart of the countryside, but now police find and expose mainly mid-sized marijuana farms.

And according to police intelligence, the operations are generally well-organized, though not in the traditional way, where a drug lord makes investments and lets his underlings do the cultivation of the plants, which was the norm some ten years ago.

Today it is more often a case of individuals growing their own weed from imported seeds in any spare area such as a cellar or in their flat, which have been fitted with good ventilation so that unsuspecting neighbours won’t catch a whiff of anything.

“And what they don’t need for themselves they sell on to organized criminal gangs that have already established distribution channels to the street,” said Gårdlund to the paper.

And according to Swedish Customs (Tullverket) the illegal smuggling of marijuana into Sweden has diminished drastically, especially in Skåne County where it is suspected that the domestic production of the illegal plants is particularly strong.

Police in Skåne say that they seize very little marijuana smuggled in from countries from where the smugglers are otherwise very active.

“And that is another indication that Sweden is self-sufficient when it comes to marijuana,” said Gårdlund to Sydsvenskan.

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13:04 November 12, 2012 by fakeempire
So can we make it legal already? Make it legal, tax it, create jobs, create happy stress-free people and there ya go.
13:43 November 12, 2012 by robban70226
Home made alcohol and freshmarijuana from the garden, Soft life in beautifull Sweden
21:19 November 12, 2012 by Spuds MacKenzie
Two words: LEGALIZE IT! Since Holland is stupidly banning weed to non-Dutch citizens starting on January 1st, Sweden can capitalize on pot tourism and make literally MILLIONS of kronor in tax revenue annually.
09:04 November 13, 2012 by smilingjack
Holland has reversed its policy and wont be banning cannabis sales to non residents. just as the USA had to vote on cannabis laws at the same time they voted in the presidential elections. Guess what. Cannabis is now legal - not decriminalised - 100% legal in several US states. Imagine those teens and young Americans doing life in prison for 3 charges of possessing cannabis. Hypocrisy on a grand scale.

The world is slowly coming around though. Whats next - teaching kids the world in billions of years old? Not made last week by an old man with a white beard clapping his hands together?

Back in the Adelaide Hills. A grain fed aged Angus rib eye on the bone. Fresh vegetables ( free of pesticides ) straight from the garden. A Juicy McClaren Vale Shiraz to wash it all down and a freshly rolled fat one grown in the backyard for desert.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm fat one.......................................
19:01 November 20, 2012 by groverpm
@Spuds MacKenzie - The Netherlands have shelved their proposal. Towns will now decide for themselves whether non-residents are allowed into coffeshops. Given that Maastricht lost money during the recent trial ban (fewer parking fines amongst other things) few towns will bother. The only winners were the street dealers which was predicted.
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