Prosecutions for cannabis cultivation (FOI)

Request

Within the last 10 years, have police in Jersey found any cases of people growing their own Cannabis in Jersey?

If so could you give the details of the date they were found, the amount of cannabis being cultivated and what happened to the cannabis? Could you also explain what the police do to monitor whether this is going on in the island?

Response

Prosecutions for an offence of production or being concerned in the production of a controlled drug. Production of cannabis is known separately as ‘cultivation’.

The amount of cannabis seized varied from a single plant up to 40 plants. Sentencing ranges from a caution at Parish Hall for possession of a single plant, in a pot, claiming the species was unknown (first offence), to two years imprisonment for cultivating a number of plants in a field.

Other sentencing include fines, probation, community service orders and imprisonment. The punishment depends on the amount of plants grown and the level of cultivation. The use of heat lamps, tents and hydroponic systems attracting a greater sentence.

The court will always order the destruction of the controlled drug / plant on conclusion of a case. This is done via the States clinical waste facility and witnessed by both clinical waste staff and police.

Police have discovered cultivation offences after premises have been searched following an arrest for another offence, most commonly possession of drugs. The police also will act on information received or obtained by police by obtaining a warrant to search premises or other location.

The cultivation of cannabis is seen as contributing to the overall problems caused by the misuse of controlled drugs and as such will attract severe penalties in the courts.