Fines and Sentences for growing cannabis in the UK

We just thought it might be interesting to have a blog to share experiences with the Law regarding cannabis.

Approximately 2 million people smoke cannabis in the UK on a regular basis and over 50% of 16-29 year olds have tried it at least once. We would rather the law was on our side with this issue but unfortunately it is not. Our opinion is that it should be a matter of one's own judgement rather than criminal charges.
Please share your experience with getting caught growing or using cannabis. It doesn't matter how big or how small the crime was as this will help people worried about the law.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

What would the sentence be for growing 25-50 plants

How likely is it that you would end up with a custodial sentence after getting caught with 25-50 plants?

Would it be considered as a commercial enterprise?

How many plants are really worth the risk when you consider the consequences?

Growing 50 plants has surely got to attract a custodial sentence!

This is where it starts to get interesting. What is considered the threshold for custody and how is the sentence decided? When you get caught with this amount of plants is there any deciding factors such as the complexity of the set up or the size of the plants that effects the court’s decision? Do they judge the case based on your personal circumstances such as if you work or are on the social claiming benefits?

Please share your experience here if you were caught with this kind of load!

30 comments:

  1. A couple of years ago I got busted with 14 fully matured plants under 4 600 watt sodium lights. I got a caution at the station and was let off. 12 months later i got caught with 36 plants under 6 lights. I told the police that i had a problem with cannabis and i needed a large supply to feed my habit. I was charged with cultivating cannabis and let go to appear in court. A week later i was in court and was given 100 hours community service and 12 months probation along with £85 costs. I was absolutely shitting my pants thinking i would get jail time. I think i was very lucky to get away with what I did and the community service actually ended up being a good laugh.

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  2. 32 got 200 hours tag 3 months year be good and 85 cost joke

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  3. keep it under 28 and by law thats not a factory scale you wont get jail with less than that anywhere in the conutry with that plus make sure if you do get cautght say its personal are you could get jail, it depends on how many light and the scale of your operation and what lenths you have gone to conseel it

    hope you dont get caught either:)

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  4. just got busted with 11 harvested plants ie 600g 2m/2m tent 2 600hs. charged with cultivation not supply! going to crown court and brief thinks jail. so be warned!

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  5. I got caught with 5 plants n 4 joints up my shitter.i got 2yrs in a maximum security prison with murderers n rapists.it was a great laugh.i met a lovely fella n we r due to tie the not september this yr

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  6. would you go jail for 27 plants with windows boarded up and vents

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  7. How long for 60 plants youth first offence

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  8. Ivy got 5 months for 41 plants

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  9. Ivy lennox of Irvine Scotland 41 blue. Cheese first offence at 52

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  10. I Think anything up to 9 plants is safe to say your not getting any prison time. 9-28 plants is questionable on circumstances and history. anything above and you are treading into cautious water with the chances going up but things are certainly relaxing now as they should be. Soon the laws in the UK will change for sure as things are having a positive effect over in America and most of Europe have more relaxed views now.

    Its just a matter of time till the UK is legal for growing cannabis especially with all the celebrataties that are campaigning for the legalization of cannabis and all the news media backing it a little more with the medical revelations that are coming out of the wood work more and more.

    Lets hope it happens sooner rather than later.

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  11. The UK has recently changed its sentencing guidelines for cannabis. If you are caught growing cannabis check out the guidelines on the link above. Sentence guide for growing cannabis

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  12. So many factors when it gets to this stage but here's my story.
    Got busted with 42 plants, 22 of which were cuttings. I went up to court on inditement but was reduced to summary after I pled not guilty. 6 months later i went to plead guilty until my lawyer told me the prosecutor was placing a value of up to £24,000 on the entire crop reaching maturity. It was outside the courtroom that i told my lawyer that I wouldn't plead guilty to that. He tried to reassure that would only get 9 months of which I would serve half. The lawer then refused to represent me with a not guilty plea. He told the court he was standing down from representing me and left me to enter my own plea. A new trial date was set for 6 months time during which time I went to another lawer who managed to get an independent valuation of the plants to between £720 -£3600. At the trial diet th judge accepted this could fall into a personal use category as the mean value was now £2100. At sentencing my new lawer managed to bring that figure down to £1000 as the 20 plants under light were grown from seed and had not been sexed yet. Note: the cuttings were taken from the plants under light and therefore could not be sexed. Ok they were feminized seeds but i thought i would keep that quiet.
    The judge did give me a hard time before fining me £800.
    I have read every published article an blog on the net trying to guess if i was going down and the most important factors a judge will sentence on are:-
    value of crop.
    whether the value indicates a commercial grow.
    a good background report (renouncement of cannabis use)
    employment.
    if i could give anyone advice on any outstanding matters of this nature it would simply to say never never plead guilty to a charge straight away no matter how bad things might look, then begin getting the astronomical value the courts put on Percy grows down by using some of the tools mentioned above.
    ps never admit to onward supply, even passing a joint, if you do forget everything i have said.
    good luck.

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  13. You was one of the lucky ones!

    my friend was up in court the other day for 45 plants and he got 8 months. It is likely to be cut in half or even less than half but these comments are not set in stone. I agree with your entire post that it is all about value and how you plea your case.

    Just beware that just because it says you will get off here, you shouldn't think it is set in stone.

    I would have been so angry at my lawyer if he did that to me. I would have been inclined to slap him round the face when we left the court.. That could have been the nail in your coffin..

    my friend had 45 auto cannabis seeds which were germinating at the same time as the 45 fully mature plants were finishing so they got him on the fact that he was repeating the cycle.

    So one lesson would be 'don't be greedy' wait till everything is finished before starting again..

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    Replies
    1. Yes, there does seem to be a "grey" area when it comes to seedlings/cuttings with respect to value. On one hand they could be described as valueless but on the other, when combined with mature plants, the prosecution may use them as an aggravating factor.
      I was privy to the independent expert's report on my case, in my opinion it was poor, almost generic.
      I may be wrong but the writer had no experience with autoflower varieties nor seedlings versus cuttings.
      At this time it is to the growers benefit to provide as much "useful" information to their lawer which I have no doubt will not be contested by a so called "expert" who by law has never even grown a cannabis plant.

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  14. Republic of Ireland-

    Caught with 118 total half mature (mix strains some six foot haze types mostly three foot indica types, 6kw in bloom room, less than 1000w in clone/ germination/ early veg room).

    Initially charged with section 15a intent to supply drugs value exceeding 13000euro or 10000 GBpounds- this charge carries TEN YEAR MANDATORY SENTENCE!!!! each plant valued at €800 wether cutting or seedling or mature. Grand total of €96,000!!!
    My only option was to plead not guilty to all supply and then explain the high numbers for personal use.... I had lots of F1 seeds bagged and labeled with details of parentage on labels. Luckily they were taken and presented as evidence so I used them as basis for my defence. I claimed to be depressed and anxious (understatement!!) and trying to find a combination of genetics that would calm my anxiety without making me intoxicated and had to plant large numbers of each strain to find good individuals in the population and 50% would be male blah blah....
    After spending €60,000 on the case the prosecution offered me reduced charges if I pled a minor supply charge without any mandatory sentence attached. (I had already pled guilty to cultivation as there was no denying that). I accepted and "played the game"..... Went to a counsellor and laid it on thick, childhood trauma, eating disorder, suicidal thoughts etc etc..... Even had myself sectioned for three days......
    Long story short: three years suspended for three years!!!!!!!

    No more "percy grows" for 3 years!


    result!!!!!!


    Might move back to London for a couple years. Growing is more addictive than smoking.....

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  15. Wow, I cant believe that you got off on that one. What a result to come away ater getting caught with 118 plants. I bet you was Shitting yourself on that one.

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  16. Got a m8 up for 20 plants 17 were autos has previous plenty of it. Had tent 600 watt and 400 watt what's your guesses guys

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    1. Oh they were 6 weeks in

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    2. That amount is reasonably safe. As long as it's all personal use and not for sale.

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  17. Been caught with 35 plants 16 mature ones and the rest all small ones ? been to magistrates and it's been sent to crown ?

    should I be worried ??

    About going to jail ?

    awesome will I just get a suspended sentence ?? please comment ?

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    Replies
    1. Suspended worst case.

      My mate just got caught with 32 and he said the little ones were regular seeds so he was likely to throw half of them away.

      50% would have been males so rubbish binned.

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  18. As long as you go in and say you smoke the lot and it's all personal use you should be fine.

    Best way to go is to say that you have grown different strains to find a suitable one for your medicinal use as there are so many different effects.

    Your trying to find one with high CBD to help with back pain.

    Make sure you accept the rehabilitation course if they offer one and say sorry.

    Worst case would be a suspended sentence. May not even get suspended.

    Highly unlikely to be jail time.

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  19. Caught with 8 plants,BUT 4 tents and lights in a house,the other tents were empty and clean,but one tent had 8 plants in it,i got 10 months suspended,my friend who had previous got 26 months,remember this was for 8 gowing plants.

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  20. Hi need some advice,
    I had a shop which didn’t too well so decided I would do a grow in the back to cover the cost of smoking habit. 50 plants all grown 8days before harvesting. Simple set up- 1 large carbon filter 4 lights a soil grow.

    This happened over a year ago and at the time police questioned me and I said I had sublet it to someone else and I didn’t hear from them again. A year later I get a letter in the post saying being charged with production of cannabis and have to attend maggistrates court.

    I’d like to ask firstly what would the likely punishment be?
    Also would I need a solicitor or can I use the duty one? I physically cannot afford legal help atm and my legal aid has been rejected for maggistrates and a contribution for crown court if needs be but ideally I’d like to spend no money on legal help atm.

    Mitigating factors-
    I have never been in trouble with the police before.
    Have had a good job for the last 5 years.
    Since the incident I have settled down, stopped smoking as much and got married.

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    Replies
    1. Did they fingerprint the room what evidence connects you to it?

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  21. Did they fingerprint the room what evidence connects you to it?

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  22. They did fingerprint the room and found my prints on an extension plug that was used for the wiring.

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    Replies
    1. It problys wouldn't be enough to pin you to the room , but letting someone cultivate on your property. With your knowledge would be enough to charge you.

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