Weed, need and greed : domestic marijuana production and the UK cannabis market

• Main Author: Potter, Gary
• Published: University of Sheffield 2006
• Subjects: 364
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.533831

This study explores the phenomenon of domestic cannabis cultivation in the UK and examines its impact on the wider cannabis market. Cannabis growers were studied using both traditional and on-line ethnographic methods. Data was analysed both to produce a description of cannabis cultivation (and cannabis cultivators) in Britain and to analyse how domestic production of cannabis fits into our wider understanding of illegal drug markets. The thesis explores UK cannabis growing on a number of levels. Firstly it seeks to describe how cannabis is grown in Britain. Some is grown outside in natural conditions but most British cannabis is grown indoors with increasingly hi-tech cultivation methods being utilised. The method employed by an individual grower will depend on his opportunities, his intention for the crop and any ideological position which may influence his choice. We then explore who is involved in cannabis growing. At a basic level featuresdemographic and' ideological' - common to cannabis growers are considered. At a deeper level a typology of cannabis growers is offered based predominantly on motivation and ideology. The key point here is that a large number of cannabis growers seek no financial reward whatsoever for their involvement in what is essentially an act of drug trafficking. Others grow cannabis to make money, but are equally motivated by non-financial 'drivers'. Still others are mostly or entirely driven by financial considerations. These growers often display the same hall-marks as other organised crime outfits. Consumer concerns can be seen to influence the market with smaller independent 'social' and 'social/commercial' growers offering an ideo logical - ethical, even - alternative to larger scale organised crime outfits. Finally explanations for the recent surge in domestic cannabis cultivation are offered along with predictions for the future domestic production, not just of cannabis but other drugs as well.