Police Hand Out Cannabis Scratch-n-Sniff

The Dutch authorities have started a campaign with sniff cards to help find cannabis plantations

When scratched the card reveals its scent as well as a police number people can call if they suspect that a neighbour grows marijuana on a large scale.

The card also lists other indicators of urban cannabis cultivation, such as the buzzing sound of ventilators, suspicious connections to electricity supply points and curtains that are kept closed.

Citizens are told to fear the physical risks of cannabis farming and turn them in for purposes of public safety.

Dutch authorities say that the plantations are a hazard, claiming they can cause fires or accidents because of the cables and lamps needed to maintain a cultivation temperature of 27C [80F].

Authorities believe that there are 40,000 illegal cannabis plantations in the Netherlands hidden away in attics, apartments and warehouses.

Wow. 40,000 plantations? If they are going to call this a risky business, prone to fires or accidents, shouldn’t they also release the percentage of failures from bad plantations? I do not see any examples. Given 40,000 plantations running a risk level of X the police could also compare it to other agriculture with a risk level of Y…but something tells me they just want stated harm to be taken for granted and not debated.

The temperature of 80F, for example, is a point of data that can be verified easily.

A quick search finds that growers recommend 68F to 78F during the day and 53F to 63F at night. Still warm but far from any risk of fire. Those temperatures are close to residential norms.

It occurs to me that police are perhaps admitting they are not able to detect plantations. Drawn curtains are foiling their best high-tech helicopters and elite troops. Maybe a neighbor reporting a risk gives special legal authority to enter a home? They just have to convince the public of a problem worth solving.

Perhaps instead the police could lead a campaign on proper electrical wiring and lighting to prevent fire or accidents. That would not only reduce the risk for cannabis plantations (wrong problem solved?) but help out every other industry and home as well. They even could subsidize low-risk heating solutions like solar and radiant flooring. It might not be as amusing and creative as the sniff-tests, but probably would result in better overall results in terms of public safety.

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