A SENIOR judge has called for longer sentences to help tackle the increasing problem of cannabis production and use in the county.
Super-strength skunk grown in cannabis factories across the country is causing lasting mental problems for users according to Judge Richard Bray, who has appealed for longer sentences for those caught growing the drug.
He made the plea after revealing he is dealing with an increased number of young people suffering from paralysis following extended drug use.
Judge Bray, who raised his concerns following a series of cannabis cases at Northampton Crown Court last week, said: “The number of cannabis factories is increasing.
“The seriousness of this offence is not reflected in sentences that we are able to pass and I appeal for revised sentencing guidelines from the guideline council.”
Police and health bosses also believe cannabis is an increasing problem in the county, affecting both people’s health as well as their lifestyles.
In a recent case at Northampton Crown Court, Truong Luu, 30, was found guilty of setting up and running a cannabis factory capable of netting thousands of pounds.
He was jailed for four years for producing the Class B drug on a commercial scale in Kettering. He will be deported when his sentence is complete.
Comments
There are 12 comments to this article
2Peter Reynolds
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 12:50 PMThis is an appalling intervention from Judge Bray which flies in the face of the facts and is nothing short of misnformation, propaganda and lies. The very idea that cannabis causes "lasting lasting mental problems for users"or that "young people...suffering from paralysis" due to cannabis is absolute nonsense. Judge Bray may be able to say whatever he likes in his court but this statement amounts to gross misconduct, demonstrating he is not a fit or proper person to preside in cases concerning cannabis. I shall be making a complaint about Judge Bray to the appropriate authorities. The statement about paralysis is just gibberish and has no basis in fact at all. On mental health,all the studies agree that there is no proof that cannabis causes mental health problems at all. Correlation is far higher with both alcohol and tobacco use. CBD, one of the main active ingredients of cannabis is also proven to have strong anti-psychotic effects In 2009, specifically in response to tabloid headlines linking cannabis with psychosis, the ACMD commissioned the largest ever study of its type from Keele University. It looked at 600,000 subjects and concluded that "the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining" despite increased cannabis use. Furthermore, Dr S. Zammit and Prof. Glyn Lewis writing in the journal "Addiction" in 2009 said that focusing on schizophrenia in connection with cannabis use was "misguided". they went on to say "Our research cannot resolve the question whether cannabis causes schizophrenia, but does show that up to 30,000 people need to be prevented from using cannabis to prevent one case of schizophrenia". Compare that to the figures for tobacco, alcohol or even energy drinks. Judge Bray is a disgrace to the British judicial system and should be removed from office immediately.
3Moonlighter
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:00 PMCalm down Mr Reynolds. I suspect Judge Bray said 'psychosis' and not 'paralysis'. Perhaps a misprint from the ET? As for your diatribe, it sounds like you need to smoke something. Judge Bray is entitled to his opinion from the experience he has seen in his court room. I'm open minded about making cannabis legal. I see the benefits that Aliss outlines. However the weakness in your argument is telling. You refer to the problems of alcohol and smoking. If we, as a society, could go back in time and make them illegal would we? Yes is probably the answer. The saying 'two wrongs don't make a right' springs to mind. Cannabis does cause some people harm. It does change people's personalities; I've seen this for myself. If it is made legal, let's go the whole hog and not a downgrade in its class rating.
4Jakes
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:05 PMThe idea that cannabis causes "mental health problems" is very misleading, as it implies that it somehow damages the brain. This is not the case, as anyone who has used cannabis responsibly will tell you, it simply opens up more pathways in your mind that you didn't know were there before. If some people can't handle this and somehow go insane, then that is not due to the substance, it is due to their mental weakness. It should not be used as an excuse to keep this incredible mind expanding herb from the rest of us healthy individuals, who use cannabis for it's overwhelming positive aspects such as increasing creativity, happiness and general appreciation of things you usually take for granted. Anyone who has used cannabis in the right quantity, set, and setting will agree that it is an incredible positive experience.
5Jakes
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:11 PMThe idea that cannabis causes "mental health problems" is very misleading, as it implies that it somehow damages the brain. This is not the case, as anyone who has used cannabis responsibly will tell you, it simply opens up more pathways in your mind that you didn't know were there before. If some people can't handle this and somehow go insane, then that is not due to the substance, it is due to their mental weakness. It should not be used as an excuse to keep this incredible mind expanding herb from the rest of us healthy individuals, who use cannabis for it's overwhelming positive aspects such as increasing creativity, happiness and general appreciation of things you usually take for granted. Anyone who has used cannabis in the right quantity, set, and setting will agree that it is an incredible positive experience.
6MarkPalmer
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:18 PMIt would seem that our Judiciary do not require any degree of intelligence, nor do they seem to have any grasp of the real facts about the cases they are dealing with.
7Arnie Wellah
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:19 PMOhhh yippee, lets lock up the pot smokers. Its so damn easy. That super skunk weed they smoke stinks. Their lofts shine up on IR cameras. Its just too damn easy. Locking up otherwise law abiding citizens who pay tax and contribute equally to society as their alcohol drinking friends. All these arrests just make our crime statistics look so good. The most dangerous thing about cannabis is prohibition. The sun is out, overgrow the uk
8RedBill
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:30 PMI Think Judge Bray has no grasp of the issues regarding these 'farms'. Almost without exeception they are run by untouchable gangmasters who exploit vunerable vietnemese who are people-trafficked here and elsewhere to do their bidding under threat of harm to them or their families. The people operating these gangs couldn't care less if these unfortunates were sententenced to 20 years; in their eyes they ate totaly expendable and easily replaced. If it wasn't caninabis it would be , and is ,the usual alternatives: prostitution, exploitation etc......these are the same scum who send these virtual slaves out with dodgy DVD's which somejhow seem much more acceptible to the public at large. Instead of trying to appease the Daily Mail Readers, Judge Bray should chanel his concern at the real criminals
9Arnie Wellah
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:32 PMOhhh yippee, lets lock up the pot smokers. Its so damn easy. That super skunk weed they smoke stinks. Their lofts shine up on IR cameras. Its just too damn easy. Locking up otherwise law abiding citizens who pay tax and contribute equally to society as their alcohol drinking friends. All these arrests just make our crime statistics look so good. The most dangerous thing about cannabis is prohibition. The sun is out, overgrow the uk
10Arnie Wellah
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:35 PMOhhh yippee, lets lock up the pot smokers. Its so damn easy. That super skunk weed they smoke stinks. Their lofts shine up on IR cameras. Its just too damn easy. Locking up otherwise law abiding citizens who pay tax and contribute equally to society as their alcohol drinking friends. All these arrests just make our crime statistics look so good. The most dangerous thing about cannabis is prohibition. The sun is out, overgrow the uk
11EdBenton
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:40 PMPeter is 100% correct. This judge has no experience with cannabis other than courtroom observation, which is scientifically worthless. Peter has quoted the work of professor Glyn Lewis, someone who is qualified to remark on the matter of Cannabis. Professor Lewis' statement completely contradicts that of the good judge. I will trust the man with qualifications, experience and research behind him when it comes to matters such as these. The scientific argument on the harms of cannabis has already been won. You can engage in idle speculation and half truths if you wish, but there's ample research to put you down. Let's dispense with this myth that cannabis prohibition protects anyone at all. Demand remains unaffected, supply is hit in the region of around 2% (negligible) and funds generated by the inevitable demand fuel criminal gangs. Cannabis is much less harmful than other legal substances. Moonlighter has said that these substances would be made illegal if we could "go back in time" or similar. Nothing so grand is necessary - if harm was central to our laws on substances - cannabis would be legal and alcohol would not. End of! The fact that the opposite is true only proves that prevention of harm is not the motivation behind our drug laws. Millions of people use cannabis daily in the UK - thousands use cannabis medicinally for serious illnesses. Continued double standards on drugs (including alcohol) force these people to suffer under the guise of morality.
12ravehat
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 01:45 PMlets make this clear. a judge is a judge. not a scientist and not a doctor. for him to claim that "mental problems" are being caused then can he please show the evidence to back this up. show me the spike thats all i ask. if stronger cannabis has caused mental health problems then there should be a spike in the statistics where the cannabis was introduced. so far i havent found this. there has been no rise and no fall. so what is he basing this on? note that when he mentions paralysis it is slyly included with all drugs not cannabis, "paralysis following extended DRUG use". the number of factories may well be increasing but please remember that most new factories and controlled by viatnamese druglords so even if penalties were increased nothing would change as the ganglords dont control factories personally. who are these health bosses that the article mentions? most health organisations are begining to descover the medical potential of cannabis so all i can think is they have asked some rouge doctor, out of touch with the reality of the situation. people grow cannabis personally to avoid the harshness of ganglords and contaminated cannabis. to punish them would only leave druglords growing cannabis. they wont choose the cannabis they grow by thinking of whats best for the users. they will choose whats strongest and easiest to grow. this is a terrible article that shows how out of touch this judge is. he is over stepping his boundaries and the press is using the fact that he is a judge to mislead the public by implieing he knows what he is talking about because he is a judge. please lets stick to the facts and be truthfull on this matter.
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Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Plea for longer sentences for cannabis growers - Local - Evening Telegraph
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Aliss
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 11:57 AMOf course drug use is a problem, but Judge Bray clearly has no idea about the effects or how it needs to be addressed. The simple fact is that prohibition and punishment are not working, so I don't see how an increased sentence is going to have much effect. We need to treat users, allow them a clean, safe, well priced, and regulated supply, and access to help if they are having problems. Then you can throw the book at people outside the legal supply chain (especially as your costs of enforcement have dropped through the floor, and you can tax the legal stuff)