Scratch And Sniff Marijuana Cards Offered By Crimestoppers
Scratch and sniff marijuana cards are being offered by Crimestoppers in a campaign to raise awareness of marijuana farms. The cards are being mailed to 201,000 UK residents.
The cards, which release the odor of marijuana, are part of a campaign to reduce the number farms illegally growing marijuana in the UK. Residents recognizing the scent are asked to report the odor to their local authorities.
As reported by BBC, West Yorkshire, in particular, has seen a recent rise in marijuana farms. In a two year period between 2010 and 2012, authorities found nearly 1,800 marijuana farms in the area. Those numbers include residential homes or apartments where residents were growing plants.
Crimestoppers hope that the scratch and sniff marijuana cards will help UK residents who would not normally recognize the odor. They point out that larger commercial operations are declining as residents move their operations to residential neighborhoods.
A similar programs was used in The Netherlands in 2011. More than 30,000 scratch and sniff cannabis cards were distributed to residents in Rotterdam in an effort to reduce the number if illegal marijuana farms. As reported by the Huffington Post, Dutch authorities routinely close down around 6,000 illegal marijuana farms per year.
The Netherlands and the UK both seek to curb the illegal operations as they can be linked to much larger problems. UK residents are warned that marijuana growers can be linked to organized crime and violence. Authorities in The Netherlands link the farms to organized crime and illegal use of electricity and water.
The cannabis scratch and sniff card smells just like my postman.
— boothby graffoe (@boobygraffoe) March 19, 2013
Scratch and sniff cannabis products are not only available from Crimestoppers. Several online retailers offer products such as scratch and sniff marijuana stickers shaped like hippie clothing, and scratch and sniff posters.
Crimestoppers has pointed out that their scratch and sniff marijuana cards do not contain THC and will not get people high.
Thought I might listen to some Hendrix when I get my cannabis scratch and sniff card.
— johnbolch (@johnbolch) March 19, 2013
