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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Police return drug seeds to grower
Hounslow Guardian, London
Friday 18 Jul 2003 THE PLIGHT of a convicted cannabis grower, who claims his human rights were infringed by the confiscation of his cannabis seeds and growing equipment, began to ease this week. Mr Philip Walsh, of Oxford Road North, has recently had the confiscated seeds, money and literature returned to him - after he appeared in a recent Times article. The 299 cannabis plants themselves had been destroyed after a destruction order had been given, and there was no sign of the hydroponics equipment, used to grow cannabis that was also confiscated when Mr Walsh was arrested. Mr Walsh said: I was called by Sergeant Mewse and after a couple of visits to the police station, two officers finally delivered the goods back to me at my home. They were obliged to return my goods because they didn't have the right to take them in the first place and could no longer try to justify keeping them as evidence. The case was over, and no destruction order was given. I think it is very poor that there seems to be no time limit in which the police have to return property.He is still planning to continue to fight the police force to get his equipment returned and admitted: I am investigating the possibility of suing and am preparing a complaint to the Police Complaints Commission.He continued: These seeds and two of the systems represent my intellectual property. The seeds alone may be worth tens of millions of pounds. The Dutch ones and the Swiss ones are, and its legal for me to trade in seeds world-wide.Chief Superintendent Harris defended his actions: It is a great shame that Mr Walsh feels that he has been victimised, given that a court convicted him of a criminal offence yet again. The law currently is quite clear as to what is allowed and not allowed relating to the possession and cultivation of drugs including cannabis. It is not part of the duty of police to involve themselves in any pharmaceutical licensing matters. We have a legal obligation, wherever possible, to ensure that members of the community obey laws, regardless of what they perceive is an infringement of their human rights. I'm sure that the average parent in this borough would whole heartedly endorse my stance and that of the local police when dealing with drugs. 9:31am today
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