tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/skunk-50397/articlesSkunk – The Conversation2021-03-10T14:58:14Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1568152021-03-10T14:58:14Z2021-03-10T14:58:14ZHome-grown cannabis: how COVID-19 has fuelled a boom around the world<p>Back in the days when “<a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/17459261211286645/full/html?skipTracking=true">skunk</a>” was mainly associated with Pepé Le Pew and hydroponics was a way of improving cucumbers, most of the UK’s cannabis supply was imported from places such as Morocco and Lebanon. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395915000031?via%3Dihub">This changed</a> in the past two or three decades in the UK and many other countries as <a href="https://www.npcc.police.uk/Publication/FINAL%20PRESS%20CULTIVATION%20OF%20CANNABIS%202.pdf">organised criminal gangs</a> set up growing operations closer to home. </p>
<p><a href="https://wdr.unodc.org/wdr2020/field/WDR20_Booklet_3.pdf">Cannabis was still</a> cultivated and distributed out of the more exotic locations on a large scale, particularly when it came to resin, but a fair amount of production had now moved closer to the demand in a process economists call <a href="https://econclassroom.com/glossary/import-substitution/">import substitution</a>. </p>
<p>It is hard to measure this accurately, but the <a href="http://www.idmu.co.uk/oldsite/">Independent Drug Monitoring Unit</a> estimated that by 2012, 80% of the cannabis used in the UK was grown here – up from 30% in the late 1990s. It is probably well over 90% now.</p>
<p>But in recent years, cannabis has undergone another major shift. A sizeable share of demand is now met by <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/coming-closet-gary-potter-axel-klein/e/10.4324/9781351033503-12">small-scale growers</a>, mainly supplying themselves and friends and acquaintances. This has become possible for various reasons, including improvements to growing technology, new strains more suited to indoor growing, and the wealth of information and expertise on the internet. As such, many cannabis users <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1741659016646414">no longer depend</a> on traditional drug dealers. </p>
<p>This trend has been gaining momentum during the pandemic. So is this permanent or will the old supply chains reassert themselves when countries return to some kind of normality?</p>
<h2>Keeping up with cannabis</h2>
<p>Myself and a group of like-minded cannabis researchers across Europe, North America and Australasia formed the <a href="https://worldwideweed.nl/about/">Global Cannabis Cultivation Research Consortium</a> in 2009 to monitor the growth of domestic cultivation and how cannabis markets were evolving. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395914003636">In 2012</a>, we <a href="https://worldwideweed.nl/pubs-gccrc/">surveyed growers</a> in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and the US to find out more about small-scale growing, and how and why they these people got involved. Most turned out to be regular people - with normal jobs, normal family arrangements, and no more involvement in drug dealing or other crime than any other section of the public.</p>
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<img alt="Man cultivating cannabis" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388806/original/file-20210310-19-1cp55no.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388806/original/file-20210310-19-1cp55no.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388806/original/file-20210310-19-1cp55no.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388806/original/file-20210310-19-1cp55no.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388806/original/file-20210310-19-1cp55no.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388806/original/file-20210310-19-1cp55no.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388806/original/file-20210310-19-1cp55no.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Dedication’s whatcha need.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://ecigarettereviewed.com/">https://ecigarettereviewed.com/</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Cannabis policy has since been changing around the world. An ever-growing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis">list of countries</a> has legalised it, in some form, for medical use. A number have changed their laws so that cannabis possession (and, in some cases, cultivation for personal use) is no longer a criminal offence. Most significantly, Canada, Uruguay and various US states have legalised not only medical but recreational use too. </p>
<p>In 2020, we launched our <a href="https://worldwideweed.nl/">second international survey</a> to see how cultivation was being affected by this shifting backdrop. This time we looked at 18 countries, adding France, Georgia, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal and Uruguay to the original 11, while also running a survey for people in non-participating countries. A global pandemic and national lockdowns had not been part of our planning, but of course we added questions to find out the effects. </p>
<h2>The new findings</h2>
<p>Since COVID-19 has affected almost every area of life, you would expect it to affect <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dpe8n/what-really-happened-to-britains-drug-supply-during-the-first-lockdown">drug use and drug markets</a>. People have been spending more time at home. Social interactions have been limited, including opportunities to take drugs with friends or to obtain them from the usual sources. Meanwhile, national and international drug supply networks have been disrupted. </p>
<p>Sure enough, our preliminary findings suggest that COVID-19 has affected domestic cannabis cultivation around the world. With nearly 5,000 participants at the time of writing, 16% report only becoming involved in cannabis growing since the pandemic. There are 11% of respondents saying that having more time at home was why they were growing, while 8% cite <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-price-of-street-drugs-rises-due-to-lockdown-measures-dealer-says-11967377">increased cannabis prices</a> during the pandemic as a motivating factor. </p>
<p>More than one-third of respondents reported that it was harder to meet up in person with people they grew with, or to obtain cannabis through personal social networks or their usual dealer. Yet fewer than one in ten reported that it was harder to get hold of cannabis seeds, growing equipment, or other supplies like fertilisers. </p>
<p>There is some interesting variation between countries in the findings. In Italy, more than one-quarter of respondents had started growing since the pandemic started – noticeably above the global average. Meanwhile, one-third of Portuguese respondents cited a shortage of cannabis during COVID-19 as a reason for growing their own. </p>
<p>Besides the pandemic, most home growers across the world pointed to other motivations that were <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955395914003636">in line</a> with our <a href="https://worldwideweed.nl/pubs-gccrc/">2012 findings</a>: wanting a product that is healthier and cheaper, while avoiding contact with criminals. </p>
<p>Three-quarters of respondents report that they grow cannabis because they get pleasure from doing so. Nearly half report that they are growing for their own medical use. And while 15% report growing to supply others with cannabis for medical use and 15% supply others for recreational use, our growers are not acting as drug dealers: only 4% reported selling cannabis for profit. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman on a bed lighting a joint" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388809/original/file-20210310-13-vw7rb5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">‘The fruits of my labours.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-african-american-woman-lighting-marijuana-1508639039">Joshua Resnick</a></span>
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<p>But if lockdown has led a significant number of people to start growing their own cannabis, it is also important to note that the vast majority of our participants were growing it already. And while many respondents (18%) reported growing more under lockdown, one in ten said they were growing less or had stopped altogether. Meanwhile, organised crime continues to supply a large chunk of the UK cannabis market. </p>
<p>It must be stressed that these are only preliminary findings. We want to double the number of respondents to at least 10,000 in the coming months, and will publish the final results early in 2022. Then we intend to carry on our research to see if these trends continue as the pandemic recedes. We strongly suspect it will: once people get the habit of growing their own, there is little reason to go back to buying from dealers.</p>
<p>Anyone interested in taking part in our survey can find out more at <a href="https://worldwideweed.nl/">worldwideweed.nl</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156815/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gary Potter has previously received funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme small grants scheme. </span></em></p>Home cultivation of cannabis is increasing in many countries during the pandemic.Gary Potter, Reader in Criminology, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1001022018-07-19T09:10:45Z2018-07-19T09:10:45ZPolicing of cannabis possession is largely accidental – and many officers don’t think it makes a difference<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228211/original/file-20180718-142428-1mcw8bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/home">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The legal status of cannabis, and in particular its <a href="https://theconversation.com/cannabis-oil-for-epilepsy-what-you-need-to-know-98499">medicinal benefits</a>, have been much debated in parliament and the press in recent months. During this time, we have been interviewing police officers in North Yorkshire, England, about the day-to-day policing of cannabis possession. We’ve also analysed anonymised data on 4,597 drug possession offences during 2013-16. This <a href="https://n8prp.org.uk/policing-cannabis-in-north-yorkshire/">research</a> raises important questions about how police forces in England and Wales should deal with this common but to some, trivial, offence.</p>
<p>Cannabis possession made up nearly three quarters of total drug offences in the North Yorkshire Police Force area during the period of our research. Yet, most of the 37 police constables and sergeants we interviewed across six police stations thought that their policing of cannabis possession had little or no long term impact on offenders’ drug use. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, they saw it as their duty to enforce the law – and, importantly, to be seen to enforce the law. Officers spoke about the need to fulfil public expectations that action would always be taken where a law is clearly being broken.</p>
<p>Some also thought that, on rare occasions, they could have an impact on some cannabis users, particularly young people, by preventing escalation to more serious drug use or offences; or preventing mental health problems. Officers were generally of the opinion that the long term harms and links to criminality they associated with cannabis use required them to take positive action when they came across the drug.</p>
<p>We also found that cannabis policing often appeared to be accidental. Rarely did officers proactively seek out cannabis possession offences. Instead, cannabis or evidence of cannabis use was most frequently found in the course of unrelated policing activity: for example, where officers stopped a car that had raised suspicions for other reasons, and a cloud of cannabis smoke had been released when the car window was wound down. </p>
<p>However, there was almost universal agreement among officers that, whatever the nature of the offence, formal action should always be taken. It was not seen as acceptable for officers to deal with the situation informally by simply dropping the drug down a drain. This is in marked contrast to previous <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/policing-cannabis-class-c-drug">UK research</a> which found that police officers frequently simply confiscated small amounts of cannabis and destroyed them in front of the user.</p>
<h2>Smells like weed</h2>
<p>The issue of smell was significant. In approximately half of all cases where an explanation for a search was given, smell was cited as the reason. In some situations, the proportion was considerably higher, as the diagram below shows.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228275/original/file-20180718-142426-1j86ool.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The reasons officers give for searching people, in different contexts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Authors provided.</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Guidance from the College of Policing <a href="https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/stop-and-search/legal/legal-basis/#section-23-of-the-misuse-of-drugs-act-1971">states</a> that the smell of cannabis on its own will not normally justify a search – but yet a third of our interviewed officers thought that it did. </p>
<p>Among some of the officers who were aware of the guidance, there was frustration with the idea that a strong and obvious smell of cannabis was not sufficient sole grounds for a search. It’s possible that changes in the nature of cannabis may be affecting this issue. Strong strains of herbal cannabis such as “skunk” which have a very pungent smell may be making public consumption of the drug much harder to hide; and therefore much harder for police officers to ignore.</p>
<p>Reflecting a long history of research on the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-2230.2007.00671.x">targeting of stop and search</a>, our study found a strong relationship between deprivation and apprehension for cannabis possession. Even though very few offenders were encountered in their home wards, people both in and from more deprived wards were significantly more likely to be sanctioned for cannabis possession. </p>
<h2>Warnings first</h2>
<p>Many officers were keen not to criminalise cannabis users, particularly younger users, and therefore welcomed the fact that there were a number of steps before a repeat offender would be charged with a possession offence. Cannabis warnings, which involve confiscation of the drug and the filling out of a short form for adults, were largely popular with officers, some of whom saw scope for expanding their use to 16- and 17-year-olds. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228213/original/file-20180718-142408-1bnps45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228213/original/file-20180718-142408-1bnps45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228213/original/file-20180718-142408-1bnps45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228213/original/file-20180718-142408-1bnps45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228213/original/file-20180718-142408-1bnps45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228213/original/file-20180718-142408-1bnps45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228213/original/file-20180718-142408-1bnps45.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Can you smell that?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/768128281?src=X8_JBPmN58ZK_P1ZtHw-kQ-1-9&size=medium_jpg">via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>So it’s concerning that the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s new <a href="http://www.npcc.police.uk/Publication/Charging%20and%20Out%20of%20Court%20Disposals%20A%20National%20Strategy.pdf">strategy</a> on “out of court disposals” – alternatives to prosecution such as early interventions and cautions – could lead to more rapid criminalisation of cannabis offenders. </p>
<p>Until now, arrest should in most circumstances only occur at someone’s third offence: after the police have given a cannabis warning and a fine for previous offences. The new strategy could see cannabis warnings abandoned as an option for first cannabis possession offences. While forces around the country are interpreting this in various ways, the strategy suggests that a person caught in possession twice within a 12-month period would be given a conditional caution for their second offence, which would constitute a criminal record. This approach represents a swifter criminalisation for people accidentally found by the police to be in possession of small amounts of cannabis than was formerly the case. </p>
<p>Officers in our study were acutely aware that the long term consequences of having a criminal record might be disproportionate to the seriousness of these offences</p>
<p>At a time of <a href="https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN02619">decreasing recorded</a> drug offences nationally and in North Yorkshire, many officers felt that low police officer numbers had had a significant impact on their ability to proactively police cannabis possession. Given that the police are under increasing pressure and “managing demand” is <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-crime-drops-the-demands-on-the-police-dont-necessarily-fall-79288">much discussed</a>, it may be the time to look again at the policing of cannabis possession and whether this is something on which society wants its police forces to spend their valuable time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100102/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by North Yorkshire Police and the N8 Policing Research Partnership. I have also received funding from the National Institute of Health Research and the Department of Health.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Geoff Page received funding from the N8 Policing Research Partnership and North Yorkshire Police for this project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sharon Grace received funding from the N8 Policing Partnership and North Yorkshire Police for this project.</span></em></p>New research in North Yorkshire has found most police officers are keen not to criminalise cannabis users.Charlie Lloyd, Reader, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of YorkGeoff Page, Research Fellow, University of YorkSharon Grace, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/924892018-02-27T22:28:43Z2018-02-27T22:28:43ZNearly all cannabis seized by UK police is high-strength ‘skunk'– here’s why we should be worried<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208055/original/file-20180227-36696-1o3852s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/524011927?src=r5alnZt6N9wfp-IR4Ws0Ug-1-5&size=medium_jpg">nhungboon/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fully 94% of the cannabis seized by British police in 2016 was high-potency cannabis known as “skunk”, our <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi?DOI=10.1002/dta.2368">latest research reveals</a>. By comparison, skunk comprised 85% of cannabis seized in 2008, and just 51% in 2005. This should be cause for alarm as previous research has shown that using skunk increases a person’s risk of developing psychosis, <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/pb/assets/raw/Lancet/pdfs/14TLP0454_Di%20Forti.pdf">roughly threefold</a>, compared with those who never use cannabis. Cannabis potency is also <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/changes-in-cannabis-potency-and-firsttime-admissions-to-drug-treatment-a-16year-study-in-the-netherlands/998695133558A106254C6291CD12FC06/share/f4da50507c99bf4bb1838630c6198358f0d93572">linked to</a> rising rates of treatment for cannabis-related problems. Cannabis now accounts for around 50% of all first-time admissions to specialist drug treatment centres.</p>
<p>There are broadly three preparations of cannabis. The first is skunk, which is made from the unpollinated flowers of the female plant and contains high levels of the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The second is traditional herbal cannabis, which is made from the flowers and leaves of the female cannabis plant. It has less THC than skunk and also contains cannabidiol (CBD), which is known to lessen the risk of psychosis caused by TCH. The third form is hashish, which is the made from cannabis resin. As with herbal cannabis, hashish has less THC than skunk and it does contain some CBD. </p>
<p>Since the 2008 survey of cannabis seized by the police, we have been in the dark about changes to the types of cannabis and their potency available across England. To address this issue, we set out to quantify the relative proportions of skunk, traditional herbal cannabis and hashish being used at the time of police arrest in 2015 and 2016 in London, Sussex, Kent, Derbyshire and Merseyside.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208053/original/file-20180227-36674-1t591pg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/208053/original/file-20180227-36674-1t591pg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208053/original/file-20180227-36674-1t591pg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208053/original/file-20180227-36674-1t591pg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208053/original/file-20180227-36674-1t591pg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208053/original/file-20180227-36674-1t591pg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/208053/original/file-20180227-36674-1t591pg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sample of the cannabis seized by British police in 2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Potter</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although skunk now clearly dominates the market, the potency has remained about the same since 2005, with average concentration of THC at 14% and no detectable traces of CBD. </p>
<p>An important change, however, is the sharp reduction in availability of weaker cannabis resin (hashish): from 43% in 2005, to 14% in 2008, and then just 6% in 2016 (and only 1% in London). The average concentration of THC in resin has also increased from 4% to 6%. We also found a reduction in CBD content in cannabis resin since 2005-2008 with a consequent change in the ratio of THC to CBD – no longer the benign 1:1, but now 3:1. </p>
<h2>The disappearance of choice</h2>
<p>The disappearance of a type of cannabis rich in CBD, which is almost entirely absent from skunk, poses a significant hazard to users’ mental health, and reduces their option to choose more benign forms of the drug.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17030325?code=ajp-site">recent study</a> even suggested that CBD might help to improve symptoms in patients suffering from a psychosis. This is in contrast with the research showing that daily use of cannabis that is high in THC and lacking in CBD, such as skunk, increases the risk of developing psychotic disorders fivefold.</p>
<p>Our study emphasises the importance of developing public education campaigns on the different types of street cannabis and their potential hazards. Public education is our most powerful tool in primary prevention, as tobacco-harm awareness campaigns have proven.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92489/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marta Di Forti does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The first UK survey of cannabis potency in ten years finds that skunk now dominates the market, while hashish has all but disappeared.Marta Di Forti, Clinician Scientist MRC Research Fellow, King's College LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.