It's the chance of getting caught, not the sentence, that deters.

Scotland 'needs heavier sentences' to deter growth of cannabis factories
JOHN ROBERTSON AND MICHAEL HOWIE (jrobertson@scotsman.com)

THE country's senior judge warned yesterday of heavier sentences in
Scotland than in England to try to curb the boom in cannabis factories
north of the Border.

Lord Hamilton, the Lord Justice- General, said even those who play a
relatively minor role in the cultivation of large quantities of cannabis
plants should expect jail terms of four or five years.

South of the Border, the same offence might ordinarily attract a
three-year sentence, but Lord Hamilton said: "The illegal cultivation of
cannabis by organised criminals on a substantial commercial scale appears
to be a relatively new phenomenon in Scotland ... we consider the need to
discourage a new development in this jurisdiction justifies that
difference."

About 70 cannabis factories have been identified in Scotland by police
since the summer of 2006. Most have been set up by Vietnamese and Chinese
gangs, converting houses, garages and even warehouses into factories,
mainly in west of Scotland suburbs, such as Cambuslang. The factories are
capable of producing tens of millions of pounds worth of illicit crop.

The gangs were thought to have moved north in the past couple of 
from London, the Midlands and Merseyside, where they have been targeted by
police.

Lord Hamilton made the ruling after hearing an appeal over the sentence of
a Chinese man who was caught during a raid on one such factory.

The Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh heard that a police operation
was started in December last year and had discovered a huge rise in
cannabis factories.

Officers made 51 arrests and seized thousands of plants with a potential
street value of more than £10 million. One of those detained was Zhi Pen
Lin, 32, a Chinese national and a failed asylum seeker who had gone on the
run in England after his application to stay in the country had been
refused. He met a man in Manchester who took him to a house in Forfar,
Angus.

When police raided the rented bungalow in March, they found 849 cannabis
plants.

Zhi Pen Lin said his duties had been to water and feed the plants, cut the
leaves and lay them out to dry. Every few days, the man from Manchester
would bring food, check the plants and put dried leaves into plastic bags.
A sheriff decided five years would have been the sentence given to Lin for
his role in growing the cannabis, but it could be discounted to three
years and nine months as he had pled guilty to the offence. He would also
be recommended for deportation.

At the appeal court, it was argued that as he had been only a "gardener"
in the operation, the sentence was excessive and that a discounted term of
two years might be expected in England. Lord Hamilton, sitting with Lords
Nimmo Smith and Carloway, said sentencing guidance needed to be given for
future cases. So far, sentences on the handful of cannabis factory "foot
soldiers" had ranged from 18 months to four-and-a-half years. The maximum
available was 14 years.

"The higher ranges must be reserved for the more serious cases -
involvement at a sophisticated level and repeat offences. First offenders
with minor involvement, such as 'gardeners', may appropriately be dealt
with less severely," said Lord Hamilton.

"Nonetheless, where cultivation is on a commercial and substantial scale,
a sentence of imprisonment will almost inevitably be appropriate. The
courts must seek to deter individuals from lending their services to such
activity."

The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, which has spearheaded
efforts to clampdown on the factories, last night welcomed Lord Hamilton's
guidelines. "This reflects the serious concerns we have had about these
cannabis factories and their connection with serious organised crime,"
said a spokesman.



http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=1751022007

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

Excellent posts by the way.

"Dr John Watson"  wrote in message
news:5p6k9iFkt93pU1@mid.individual.net...
> It's the chance of getting caught, not the sentence, that deters.
>
> Scotland 'needs heavier sentences' to deter growth of cannabis factories

And another thing. This 'misuse' of the term 'factories', misleads the casual
reader into believing that weed is something that it isn't - some kind of
synthetic drug, that needs 'manufacturing'.

It is a herb, a plant, that is grown, dried, chopped into pieces and stored.

This is no more an industrial process than growing potatoes.

Potato farms aren't referred to as 'potato factories'.

My guess this misuse of the word 'factories' has more to do with the
legal definitions of 'supplying' and 'manufacturing', and it is misleading
to the general public, because no 'manufacturing' is involved.

"5trfg6h7"  wrote in
news:473a1ad4$0$65899$dbd4d001@news.wanadoo.nl: 

> Excellent posts by the way.
> 
> "Dr John Watson"  wrote in message
> news:5p6k9iFkt93pU1@mid.individual.net...
>> It's the chance of getting caught, not the sentence, that deters.
>>
>> Scotland 'needs heavier sentences' to deter growth of cannabis
>> factories 
> 
> And another thing. This 'misuse' of the term 'factories', misleads the
> casual reader into believing that weed is something that it isn't -
> some kind of synthetic drug, that needs 'manufacturing'.
> 
> It is a herb, a plant, that is grown, dried, chopped into pieces and
> stored. 
> 
> This is no more an industrial process than growing potatoes.
> 
> Potato farms aren't referred to as 'potato factories'.

No, but the places that pack them for sale to the public are.

"5trfg6h7"  wrote in message 
news:473a1ad4$0$65899$dbd4d001@news.wanadoo.nl...
> Excellent posts by the way.
>
> "Dr John Watson"  wrote in message
> news:5p6k9iFkt93pU1@mid.individual.net...
>> It's the chance of getting caught, not the sentence, that deters.
>>
>> Scotland 'needs heavier sentences' to deter growth of cannabis factories
>
> And another thing. This 'misuse' of the term 'factories', misleads the 
> casual
> reader into believing that weed is something that it isn't - some kind of
> synthetic drug, that needs 'manufacturing'.
>
> It is a herb, a plant, that is grown, dried, chopped into pieces and 
> stored.
>
> This is no more an industrial process than growing potatoes.
>
> Potato farms aren't referred to as 'potato factories'.
>
> My guess this misuse of the word 'factories' has more to do with the
> legal definitions of 'supplying' and 'manufacturing', and it is misleading
> to the general public, because no 'manufacturing' is involved.
>
>
>

So just what do you make of, "Chicken Factory", go google and you will find 
plenty of results.