GNR detains man in Funchal for growing 8 cannabis plants that could be hemp

The Territorial Command of the GNR (National Republican Guard) of Madeira, through the Criminal Investigation Section, yesterday, 14 September, arrested a 57-year-old man in Funchal for drug trafficking. He had 8 cannabis plants.

Following an inspection, the Guard military detected a cannabis plantation in a residence and on its adjacent land. During the police investigations, a house search was carried out, resulting in the seizure of the following material:

• Eight cannabis plants;
• Sumities in the drying process.

The detainee was made an arguido and the facts communicated to the Funchal Judicial Court.

Hemp or cannabis?

A more careful analysis of the photos of the seized material raises doubts as to whether what was seized could be hemp (and not necessarily cannabis), since it is possible to identify male plants in the seized material.

For anyone familiar with cannabis cultivation, you know that only female plants are of value when it comes to producing flowers for human consumption, especially in the illicit market. If the flowers are pollinated, which leads to seed gestation, this will reduce both the quality of the flower itself and their development, falling far short of what they could have been if they had never been pollinated.

Remember that the GNR has already admitted to Cannareporter, in the past, could not distinguish between hemp and cannabis.

Portugal decriminalized the possession and use of all drugs in 2001, but the purchase, sale and cultivation of cannabis continue to be punishable by law, with hundreds of arrests for small-quantity consumption ending up as court cases for “trafficking of narcotics”. Detainees are rarely actually arrested, being released after being presented to a judge, which represents high administrative costs for the State. The GNR makes arrests for possession or cultivation of cannabis in Portugal practically every day.