Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Mary Creagh (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 9 June 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Drugs Act

Question: Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating Wakefield's police, who this year alone have shut down not one but eight cannabis factories in residential properties in Pinderfields road, Wesley street and on Bradford road, just a few doors down from where I live? Does he agree that we need to do more to shut down hydroponics shops that have sprung up in all sorts of places and which provide the seeds and the hardware kit that allow organised gangs of criminals to come in, use people who have been trafficked, and put the plague of cannabis on to our streets?

Answer: First, it would be remiss of me not to welcome my hon. Friend back to the House from her leave. We all welcome her back. In similar vein to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton), my hon. Friend is right to point out the importance of taking action against cannabis factories and cannabis farms. As I said, the reclassification of cannabis will make a huge difference. In the same announcement in which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced reclassification, she also announced that the Government would look into the issue of hydroponics, cannabis seeds and the impunity with which some shops sell paraphernalia which is often not for any other purpose. I hope that that review will start to answer some of the questions that my hon. Friend raised.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 477 c10-1
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Crime prevention Crime Cannabis Drugs Misuse Mushrooms Rehabilitation Hallucinogens
Legislation: Drugs Act 2005
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk