Quantification of hashish “doses” varies in different GNR Territorial Commands

Will the image on the right have more than four times the amount of hash in the image on the left? Two seizures carried out last week by the Guarda Nacional Republicana – GNR, in two different cities, presented a very different number of doses in an approximate amount of hashish. The first seizure, of “37 doses”, made in Leiria to a 19-year-old boy, seems to have even more amount of hashish than a seizure of “150 doses”, made in Setúbal, to a 23-year-old boy. 

According to the Leiria Territorial Command, a 19-year-old boy was arrested on 27 May for drug trafficking, in the municipality of Óbidos, with “37 doses of cannabis”.

According to the press release of the GNR, “in the course of a road inspection action, which aimed to combat crime, as well as to reinforce the feeling of security among the population, the military of the Guard approached a vehicle, having found that the driver showed suspicious behavior. In the face of the suspect's nervousness, and after police investigations, 37 doses of cannabis were found, which led to his arrest in the act. The detainee, with a criminal record for the same type of offense, receipt and theft, was constituted a defendant and the facts were referred to the Judicial Court of Caldas da Rainha”.

The following day, the Territorial Command of Setúbal arrested a 23-year-old man for drug trafficking, in Charneca da Caparica, in the municipality of Almada.

According to the press release, “following a road inspection action, the Guard's military approached a driver of a light vehicle who showed discomfort and nervousness during the approach. In the course of the action, it was possible to verify that the suspect was in possession of 150 doses of hashish and 80 euros in cash”. The detainee went to the Judicial Court of Almada, to apply coercive measures.

Last year, Cannareporter had already questioned the GNR Press Office about the method for quantifying the doses of seizures, having referred the same to Ordinance No. maximum quantities for each individual average daily dose of the plants, substances or preparations listed in tables I to IV annexed to Decree-Law no. 94/96, of 26 January, of most frequent consumption”.

Since the same ordinance defines the limits according to different concentrations of THC, the limit of doses could vary according to that concentration. However, it is highly unlikely that the GNR will be able to determine the concentration of THC at the place of seizure, since, according to paragraph 10 of the same Ordinance, only “1 – In carrying out the laboratory examination referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 62 of Decree-Law no. 15/93, of 22 January, the expert identifies and quantifies the plant, substance or preparation examined, as well as the respective active principle or reference substance; 2 – The analytical methods adopted and the list of entities specialized in carrying out the laboratory examination referred to in the previous number are communicated jointly by the Superior Council of Legal Medicine and the National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge to the specialized entities themselves and, through the Superior Council for the Judiciary and the Attorney General's Office, to the judicial courts and the magistrates of the Public Prosecutor's Office before them."

Thus, there are some doubts about the accuracy of these dose quantifications, disclosed by the GNR press releases, normally issued on the same day as the seizures. Cannareporter contacted GNR to clarify this issue and is awaiting a response.