http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3280149/Police-find-the-jackpot
By FELICITY ROSS - Taranaki Daily News

Police searching for a bail absconder found him in South Taranaki on Saturday along with a caravan of cannabis.

Sergeant Ivan Smith, of Hawera, said police found the man at the address of another man in the Opunake township.

"We went to an address, located the person we were looking for and the occupant was smoking cannabis," Mr Smith said.

"During a search of the address we located a substantial cannabis growing operation and which led to the subsequent arrest of two people for various offences ranging from possession of cannabis to cultivation of cannabis and breach of court bail."

Mr Smith said a caravan on the property was found to be used as a cannabis growing operation.

"It had been gutted out and had been used for the growing and cultivation of cannabis."

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1001/S00044.htm
Cannabis Party Support Daktory expansion plans
Monday, 18 January 2010, 11:16 am
Press Release: Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party

Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party congratulates Dakta Green and his Auckland Daktory Club membership for heavily pushing cannabis law reform to the fore again in New Zealand after many years of being put on the back burner by establishment, bureaucracy and media.

ALCP totally supports appropriate civil disobedience to raise awareness of glaring anomalies in New Zealand’s justice system, including counter-productive ‘crime prevention’ policing, and highly questionable legal status of marijuana alongside alcohol and tobacco.

Marijuana is NZ’s crucial law and order/community well-being/human rights issue: "The ongoing third-class-citizen status of the nation’s estimated half million marijuana consumers is unacceptable in a civil society."

http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/01/temaru-favours-cannabis-trade-in-tahi...
Pacific Scoop:
By Oceania Flash in Papeete

Former French Polynesian President and now opposition leader Oscar Temaru has this week ignited yet another controversy by suggesting – during a parliamentary debate – that cannabis should be allowed for sale and consumption to visiting tourists.

Speaking during a debate that also heralded more stringent measures against smoking in public places, Temaru said the idea of promoting the cultivation of cannabis could be one way of “canalising” an already flourishing local production while at the same time restricting its use to overseas tourists only.

He said one avenue could be to explore the concept of restricted zones, which would allow for local jobs to be created thanks to the cannabis industry.

About 30 police staff from Counties Manukau and Waitemata police districts, Auckland CIB and Metro Crime and Operations Support seized 27kg of high-grade cannabis in a joint operation on Tuesday.

They arrested eight men aged between 27 and 65 on charges including possession, possession for supply and cultivation.

The quantity seized is thought to have a street value of $270,000. The operation followed two months’ investigations into organised criminal involvement in growing and distributing cannabis. Plants and dried leaf were seized from buildings and private addresses in Manukau, Te Atatu South, Waitakere, Henderson and Green Bay.

http://www.times.co.nz/cms/news/2010/01/police_charge_teen_after_raid.php
• Howick and Pakuranga Times

A TEENAGER who lives with his mother, father and young sister has been found actively dealing in cannabis.

Confidential information led police to the family home in Archmillen Avenue, Pakuranga, on Tuesday where they found about 10g of cannabis individually bagged in small plastic zip-lock bags, commonly known as point bags, ready for distribution.

Sergeant Tony Curry, of Howick police’s tactical crime unit, says the 17-year-old’s parents were “not that surprised”.

“The boy’s behaviour had been deteriorating over the past few months, which made them suspicious,” he says.

“He had been getting into trouble with the police for traffic matters and attracting the wrong sort of crowd to the house.

“These are indicators that more serious issues, such as drugs, are evident.”

http://www.localberkshire.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2010/01/26/44409-m...

A trial followed an incident in Queen Street, Maidenhead on June 23, last year. Police received reports of a strong smell of cannabis and went to the flats above Ladbrokes at about 5pm.

When officers arrived, several men were seen leaving one of the flats.

As police waited for more officers five men were seen climbing out of the flat window. Two of these men - Ji He and Guo Long Zu - fell to the ground awkwardly, sustaining leg and arm injuries.

In total 11.5 kg of skunk cannabis that had a street value of £115,280 was found at the property.

Investigating officer Iain Watkinson said: "It appears this was a processing plant for the finished product. Nothing like this has ever been found in the Thames Valley Police area and possibly even nationally."

here is some links to some cannabis related storys.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6062106n

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6119367n

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6119342n

The new head of the government's drug advisory panel once called for the legalisation of cannabis, it has been revealed.

Professor Les Iverson, the replacement for the sacked Professor David Nutt, has claimed in the past that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco and even called for the drug to be made legal.

He reportedly said: "Cannabis should be legalised not just decriminalised because it is comparatively less dangerous than legal drugs alcohol and tobacco."

The professor yesterday talked lightly about any disagreements with the home secretary Alan Johnson and suggested that the drugs debate had moved on and that he has since changed his mind from the comments he made at a charity bash in 2003.

He said: "I don't remember saying that, it's certainly not my position now. That was a view I had in 2003 and a great deal has happened since then.

Monday January 18 2010

Drugs detectives have seized 1.2 million euro-worth of cannabis on the M1 motorway.

A 45-year-old man was arrested when the stash was uncovered in a lorry on the main Dublin to Belfast route, near Gormanstown in Co Meath.

The lorry was intercepted at around 7am by officers "acting on intelligence".

Superintendent Joe Kelly said: "This is a significant quantity of cannabis which has been taken off the streets."

The arrested man was taken to Balbriggan Garda station under section two of the Drug Trafficking Act.

The cannabis resin has been sent for tests.

Really nice 420 today, sunny as. There was a big tent set up for the master games in our usual spot so we sat on the edge of the lawn. There were a bunch of workers building shit inside the tent for the upcoming Master's Games and we got some of them to session with us. Couple of good joints went around. Margi stared from afar and sent some texts as usual. There was also a guy visiting from Israel who brought his family, he had read about our group on the internet. This Dunsterdam tourism thing is really starting to take off!!!

Number of people: ~25

Weed: apparently plentiful

Weather: sunny

Number of cops: 0