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Judges stoned at Spanish pot-growers' contest Simon Gardner Reuters Saturday 25 Oct 1997 first-ever contest on Saturday to choose the best cannabis crop, but judges - -- who had to smoke 10 different samples -- were in no condition to pick a winner. Defying Spain's drug laws, which are among the most lenient in Europe, 51 marijuana lovers who cultivate cannabis illegally for their own use gathered at a private club to compete for the first annual ``Madrid Marijuana Cup.'' The growers, acting as their own judges, wasted no time in dividing up the samples, rolling joints and lighting up. Clouds of aromatic smoke wafted across the room. One woman passed out and had to be taken outside for some fresh air. ``We are holding this competition to lobby for a law allowing us to grow marijuana for our own private consumption,'' said Javier Mestre, vice president of the Association for the Study of Cannabis, which sponsored the contest. Mestre said the event was inspired by a regional court ruling earlier this year that allowed a group of growers in northeastern Spain to cultivate marijuana for their own consumption. It is illegal to buy or sell cannabis in Spain, but police rarely take any action against individuals for smoking marijuana in private. The rules of the contest called for the marijuana samples to be judged for appearance, taste and effect on a scale of one to 10. Each judges was given 10 small plastic bags, each containing two grammes. Organisers realised the judges would be in no condition to vote after smoking such a large quantity, so they gave them until Sunday evening to recover their senses and pick a winner. ``My favourite weed is smooth, doesn't burn the throat, hits you hard in the chest and sends your head spinning,'' said Manuel Doblas, a long-haired 32-year-old grower, as he puffed away on a thick marijuana cigar. The mood was mostly festive, but one woman grower became frantic when she learned that her sample was going to be smoked by all the other competitors. ``There's no way anyone else is smoking my grass,'' she barked as she retrieved her jar of marijuana leaves. An elderly woman living across the street said she was disgusted at what was going on and called the club members ``filthy addicts.'' ``They're just a bunch of good-for-nothings,'' she said. Mestre warned the more than 100 club members attending the contest to watch out for police on their way home. ``There are some police disguised as long-haired hippies up the road asking people for identification and fining them,'' he said through a dense cloud of smoke.
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