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BBC Three

BBC 3

Rickie Haywood-Williams

Bruce Fletcher

Cannabis: Britain's Secret Farms

Documentaries

Factual: Crime & Justice

21/01/2010

BBC Three - Cannabis: Britain's Secret Farmssearch

Rickie Haywood-Williams finds out the true impact of the UK's skunk-smoking habit.

Presenter Rickie Haywood-Williams attempts to find out the true impact of the UK's skunk-smoking habit and accompanies Avon and Somerset police on raids on homes and warehouses.

In 2002, Britain produced 15 per cent of its own cannabis. In 2010 that figure is 90 per cent, and police around the country raid at least three factories every day. Organised gangs are cashing in on widespread demand for cannabis among Britain's youth by setting up sophisticated factories in suburban homes and disused warehouses. Research shows a third of the UK's 15-year-olds have tried cannabis and a quarter of young people aged 16-24 smoke it regularly.

Presenter Rickie Haywood-Williams journeys beyond the scaremongering headlines to find out the true impact of the UK's skunk-smoking habit. Rickie accompanies Avon and Somerset police on raids, and rides in a heat-seeking helicopter as it uncovers cannabis farms with hi-tech thermal imaging equipment. He also meets a landlord who was horrified to find his tenant was in fact part of an organised gang who were farming cannabis in every bedroom of his house. 

Rickie's journey also includes a trip to Amsterdam and meetings with some of the UK's three million smokers, from those who fiercely defend their habit to others who regret the effect it has had on their lives.

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