The Great Cannabis Swindle (Reefer Madness 2.0)

Excerpt from a book G.low is currently researching and writing. The following material charts events that are unfolding around the globe, pertaining to hydroponic cannabis and the industries associated to hydroponic growing techniques.

The author would like to note:

There are many excerpts from media (and others) in the following story and the author has done his best to ensure sources are noted where material has been extracted from websites or hardcopy media. If anyone has issues with copyright regarding the use of this material please contact the author through the sites email. info@integralhydro.com

Reefer Madness: The Second Coming...... 2000 - present

"All war is based on deception." Sun Tzu, The Art of War (circa 500 BC)

2004 – 2007

In January of 2004 the British government downgraded cannabis from a class B to a class C drug. The rescheduling of the drug was as a result of scientific advice from the (British) ‘Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’, following their analysis of scientific and research material regarding cannabis.

The British were effectively separating cannabis from hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin and placing it in a similar category to steroids and other prescription drugs. Their view of the situation was that cannabis was a soft drug and legislation should reflect this. The rescheduling of cannabis meant that British ‘pot heads’ would be treated more leniently through the courts with a reduction in maximum sentences and provisions were made to accommodate personal possession limits and cultivation for personal use. Commercial dealers of the drug would still face harsh sentences under the new system with a maximum of 14 years for supply as opposed to 5 years for other class C drugs. 

However, in 2001 the INCB admonished the British Government for their, then, proposed rescheduling of the drug, stating: “499. The Board notes the announcement by the Government of the United Kingdom, that cannabis would be placed in a different schedule, requiring less severe controls, and the worldwide repercussions caused by the announcement …including confusion and widespread misunderstanding. A survey undertaken in the United Kingdom found that as many as 94 per cent of children believed that cannabis was a legal substance or even some type of medicine. The survey also discovered that nearly 80 per cent of teachers in the United Kingdom believed that the recent reclassification of cannabis would make educating pupils about the dangers of drug abuse more challenging and difficult. Several opinion polls taken in July and August 2002 found that the majority of the population did not support that reclassification.”  

In a subsequent media release, the INCB attacked Britain stating that their rescheduling of cannabis would “confuse” other countries, would “undermine” the efforts of other countries to counter illicit cannabis cultivation and stated that the British were sending the wrong message which would result in increased cultivation of cannabis destined for Britain and other European countries. The INCB report also noted the “worldwide repercussions” of Britain’s decision to reschedule cannabis.

The Brits, however, weren’t about to roll over.

In a letter of response to the INCB comments, Parliamentary under Secretary Bob Ainsworth, writing on behalf of the British Government, came out swinging with:

“I am writing on behalf of the United Kingdom Government to record its dismay at comments made in the International Narcotics Control Board annual report about the Government’s decision to reclassify cannabis. In particular the alarmist language used, the absence of any reference to the scientific evidence on which that decision was based, and the misleading way in which the decision was presented by the INCB to the media…
The decision to reclassify cannabis was based on scientific advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, following their detailed scrutiny of all the available scientific and research material…. The Advisory Council concluded that cannabis is unquestionably harmful, but that its current classification is disproportionate both in relation to its inherent toxicity, and to that its current classification is disproportionate both in relation to its inherent toxicity, and to that of other substances (such as amphetamines)….. I would find it extraordinary if the Board thought that the UK Government should have ignored the science and based our decision on what people in some quarters might think… It does great damage to the credibility of the messages we give to young people about the dangers of drug misuse if we try to pretend that cannabis is as harmful as drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine. It quite clearly is not….

Against this background, the comments made in your report, your selective and inaccurate use of statistics and failure to refer to the scientific basis… all add up to an ill-informed and potentially damaging message. This was compounded by the way in which the Board presented the cannabis reclassification decision to the media at the launch of its annual report on 26 February. For instance, the Board representative is quoted as that we might end up in the next 10 or 20 years with our psychiatric hospitals filled with people who have problems with cannabis, and that a recent study by the British Lung Foundation found smoking three cannabis joints caused the same damage to the linings of the airways as 20 cigarettes. These are totally misleading statements….

My officials who will be attending the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna in April will be taking the opportunity, when your INCB report is discussed, to intervene to correct the extremely misleading picture which your report and its presentation to the media, have painted.” (26/3/2003)

In April 2003, former United Nations Drug Control Programme Chief of Demand Reduction, Cindy Fazey launched at the INCB with …”Unfortunately these individuals also see  their role not only as the guardians of the conventions, but also the interpreters of them as well. In their annual report they have criticised many governments, such as Canada for permitting the medicinal use of cannabis, Australia for providing injecting rooms and the United Kingdom for proposing to downgrade the classification of cannabis, which would entail less serious penalties than at present. These criticisms go far beyond their remit, and indeed it is hubris to criticise the Canadian Supreme Court.”    

The introduction to Chapter 2 of the 2006 UNODC World Drug Report which pays “special attention” to cannabis headlines, “Cannabis: Why we should care” and then goes on to say;

“The global community is confused about cannabis. On the one hand, cannabis is controlled with the same degree of severity as heroin and cocaine under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961. Virtually every country in the world is a party to that Convention. On the other hand, however, cannabis offences are treated far more leniently than those related to other narcotic drugs in other countries. A conflicting message is thus sent to the population and it is no wonder that public opinion becomes confused.

Rather than confronting this schism head-on cannabis has been allowed to fall into a grey area. Technically illegal but widely de-prioritized, the drug has grown in popularity at a rate outpacing all others, while simultaneously enriching those willing to break the law. A global blind-spot has developed around cannabis and in this murk the plant itself has been transformed into something far more potent than in the past. Suddenly the mental health impact of cannabis use has been thrown into sharp relief, and the drug which the world has felt so familiar is strange once again…”

The conclusion to Chapter two of the UNODC Report notes this:

2.4 Conclusion

The world has failed to come to terms with cannabis as a drug. In some countries, cannabis and trafficking are taken very seriously , while in others, they are virtually ignored. This incongruity undermines the credibility of the international system, and time for resolving global ambivalence on the issue is long overdue….

….In several respects, cannabis is unique among illicit drugs. It is not dependent on transnational trafficking or organized crime to move from cultivator to user. Often they are the same person, or at least socially related. There exist international advocacy groups promoting legal reform concerning the drug, a phenomenon not seen for cocaine or heroin. Medical use of the active ingredient, if not the plant itself, is championed by respected professionals. It is not surprising that national opinions on the issue have begun to diverge. It is essential, however, that consensus be regained, and that what is truly a global issue is again approached with consistency on a global level. After all, it is precisely this that the multilateral drug control system was designed. 
(Page 186 United Nations WDR 2006)..........

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“The future will be in straight garden centres. And I am all for it. We will spread our knowledge across globe. People who want to use our products to cultivate their favourite plants will always be welcome.
Those are my thoughts.”

Erwin Rossario, CEO Atami Bcuzz Nutrients, the Netherlands

 " On top of all this my brother being interrogated 3 times last week due a big setup that made the 9pm news, with 40k(40 kilo) ready to go and 25lights. They got some fertilisers that we sell exclusively so they put the pressure on and really giving hard time- i knew it will come at some point but i never thought they could go as far as they do!”

Kobi Cohen, Hydroponic storeowner, Israel...

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Raanen Ben - Zur of Israel goes stark raving mad on hydro