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Study: tens of thousands of Finns have grown their own cannabis

One in five young Finns know a home-grower


Study: tens of thousands of Finns have grown their own cannabis
Niina from Helsinki found the equipment for growing cannabis on a skip ten years ago.
      She did not get a very good crop with her primitive equipment. The task was also made more difficult by her lack of experience as a gardener.
      “I grew some leaves, but not very much. There certainly wasn’t enough for daily use”, says the 37-year-old Niina.
     
Things are much different now. Four lush hemp plants grow in her closet, in addition to a few cuttings.
      The number of home-growers like Niina is growing fast. An estimated 40,000 – 60,000 Finns have tried growing cannabis at home – about as many people as there are residents in cities the size of Lappeenranta or Rovaniemi.
      The number of active home growers is about ten thousand, but they have many friends. On in five Finns under the age of 35 say that they know at least one home grower.
     
The estimates are from a study which is being published in Yhteiskuntapolitiikka, the publication of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
      The information is based on four sources: an online survey, interviews with dozens of growers, a questionnaire on drug use dating back to last autumn, and an inquiry on drinking habits from about two years ago.
      Up to 1,000 growers took part in the online survey.
     
Possibly thanks to home-growing, herbal cannabis – marijuana – has become as popular in Finland as cannabis resin, or hashish – perhaps even more so.
      Growing hemp for use as a drug is illegal, but Niina and many of her friends consider it a lesser evil than interaction with drug dealers.
      “There are scary people involved in the drug trade. I want to be in control of where my cannabis comes from”, she says.
     
Home growing is also considered cheaper than buying cannabis on the black market. However, there are costs linked to home growing as well. A single plant can produce an average of 25 grams of marijuana, according to international estimates, but Finns report even higher yields.
      The researchers say that the price of cannabis on the street is between EUR 10 and EUR 15 a gram.
     
Many said that they enjoy the actual growing of the plants, and not just the outcome. Nina became so excited about growing that she started to study the tricks of the craft in detail.
      “The botanical side is intriguing. It becomes a hobby, like growing chilli peppers, for instance”, she says.
      Some of the interviewees became so enamoured of the hobby that the police took the view that they were professionals.
     
A typical grower is a young man who cultivates from one to five plants for personal use.
      The grow operation is usually in an indoor space of a few square metres – often in a closet.
      One in five say that they end up smoking more of their crop than they would need to.
     
Niina uses cannabis from one to three times a week. For her, using cannabis often involves meeting with friends at someone’s home, where someone offers the yield of their crops.
      “A common secret hobby brings people closer together”, she says.
     
A recommendation among prosecutors in illegal drugs cases is to call for a prison sentence when there are more than ten plants in a grow operation. Smaller operations usually bring a fine.
      Niina feels that growing one’s own cannabis, and its consumption, should be made legal.
      “It is wrong to speak of drugs as one lump. I feel that a distinction should be made between chemical drugs and natural products. For instance, amphetamines and cannabis are completely different substances. Cannabis is a very mild drug”, she says.
     


Helsingin Sanomat