UK - Cannabis seeds under attack again.

[cannabis-sam]

Cannabis seeds on sale in city shops

Cannabis seeds on sale in Dundee city shops. MP pledges to 'close loophole'


Cannabis seeds can be legally purchased over the counter from at least two Dundee city centre shops because of a legal “loophole”

The seeds, which retail at around £20 for a pack of 10, are used to produce the class B drug cannabis.

It is not illegal to stock the seeds, sell them or purchase them.
However, a criminal offence is committed as soon as they are used to produce cannabis.

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie said, “There does appear to be a loophole in the law.

“I can’t imagine any other reason to by them other than to grow cannabis.

“I will write to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice seeking clarification on the matter and if it is indeed the case try to get that loophole closed.”
The issue came to light this week when a 44-year-old man appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court and admitted producing cannabis at his home.

The man said he purchased the seeds from a city shopping centre and bought growing equipment before learning how to grow them from the Internet. He got one ounce from each of his eight nursery sized plants and smoked about six joints a day.

Sentencing was deferred for reports.

Elizabeth Campbell, the owner of one city shop selling seeds, said the current legislation that allows people to buy seeds but charges them for growing cannabis is unfair.

“It’s legal to sell them and it’s legal to sell the equipment used to grow them but it’s not actually legal to grow them — that’s just wrong and it’s all the government’s fault,” she said.

“And it’s not like the people buying them are growing warehouses full of cannabis for sale, its just a few seeds which are invariably used for the grower’s own consumption.

“They should just legalise it — especially given that drinking is a much bigger problem.”

Ms Campbell said she did not require a special license to sell the seeds.

“I usually order a half dozen packets which lasts around a month,” she said.

“I’m not selling them to hundreds of people or anything but there is certainly a demand for them.”

A staff member at another shop selling the seeds said there was “quite a high demand” and packets were retailing at up to £85.

“Of course we know what they’ll be used for,” she said.

“What else would they be used for?”

As part of its drug strategy, the government reclassified cannabis from class C to class B in January.

The maximum penalty for supply, dealing, production and trafficking is now 14 years imprisonment, while the maximum penalty for possession is five years imprisonment.

Anyone caught in possession of cannabis can be arrested and police can also issue a penalty notice for disorder, which carries an on-the-spot fine of £80.

A spokesman for Tayside Police said, “It is not illegal to possess, sell or purchase cannabis seeds as the seeds do not contain the active constituent tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC) and, therefore, contain no illicit drug.

“While cannabis seeds themselves are not covered under the Misuse of Drugs Act, legislation could be contravened where anyone was found to be selling the seeds alongside other items that could be used in the cultivation or misuse of a controlled drug.

“In such circumstances, the police would warn the seller and advise them to remove those items from sale.

“If they did not comply then officers could take further action.”
........
02 April 2009
http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/ou...2876087t0.shtm

Reputation Comments on this post:

An interesting news article bringing to light a currect issue. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[Alfa]

so if they ban cannabis seeds, then what will canaries eat?

will the dear MP demand that bird keepers be shipped off to jail?

I find it typical that the MP seems to be completely ignorant of the fact that the UK drug laws are coming from the United Nations, which have consciously decided that cannabis seeds should not be bought,exactly because they are used in so many ways. There is no loophole whatsoever. What is happening is a politician is trying to cause underbelly feelings with the public by selecting such misleading wording.

[cannabis-sam]

I think enforcing the law would be extremely difficult anyway, seeing as hemp and cannabis seeds are indistinguishable, they are sold in health food shops by the bag, seed companies could just switch to packaging them as hemp seeds

The UK government has already decided cannabis seeds should not be banned and I thought the issue had passed but unfortuntley not. It will only hit home growers unfortunately as commercial cannabis is grown from cuttings anyway and look at America cannabis seeds are illegal there but I don't see it stopping the flow of high quality sensimillia.

“I can’t imagine any other reason to by them other than to grow cannabis.

Bird food? To eat, cannabis seeds containing the highest nutritional value of any seed apparently, hemp/cannabis seeds have loads of uses this guy hasn't done his research has he. I fully agree with you alfa

[Sunshine-Band]

Well they are trying to hit the trade by making the association that it is illegal to sell everything you need to sell cannabis, I think they must be thinking of some kind of incitement offence - very dubious. Like Ms Campbell said, it is the govt's fault for not making it make sense, it is not for the courts to try and make it make sense by suddenly making criminals out of smart shop or hemp seed businesses who are keep to comply with peaceful trade and safety regulations.

It says if shops don't comply by removing items then police could take further action. I think if they are going to bring charges, they haven't a hope in hell of making it stick - way too much uncertainty to overturn this established trade without a change in legislation - they could bring that in under present law by Statutory Instrument - but why? It would be yet more irrational discrimination against the herb and those who want it. They could use the present law to permit the peaceful production of cannabis, in fact, by not doiing so, the government administer the law 0n a discriminatory basis by allowing persons to brew alcohol in their homes with full consumer protection.