Police in Cheltenham, England raided a small cannabis farm last week and confiscated all the plants found inside. One plant decorated as a Christmas tree nearly survived the raid before being spotted by a member of Gloucestershire Constabulary, who snapped a photo and proudly shared the image on Twitter.
Not your traditional Xmas Tree! Two arrested in Cheltenham on suspicion of cannabis cultivation. pic.twitter.com/hpPgEX8YDL
— Glos Police (@Glos_Police) December 22, 2016
A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis. Both have been released on bail until February 8.
Cannabis remains illegal to possess, grow, distribute or sell in the UK without the appropriate licenses, and the maximum penalty is five years in prison. In the survey-year ending March 2014, possession of cannabis offences accounted for 67% of all police recorded drug offences in the UK.
According to an Ipsos poll conducted in 2013, more than 53 percent of respondents supported cannabis legalization or decriminalizing.
If cannabis were made legal and regulated by the government, taxation from sales and savings on criminal justice costs could net up to £1bn, according to a recent report. Cannabis remains the most widely used illegal drug in the UK, with 6.7 per cent of adults aged between 16 to 59 using it in the past year.