5/3/09

Stalinistic Cana-chopper

Police in the Netherlands are using an unmanned miniature helicopter to track down the illegal cultivation of cannabis.



The first flight of a newly-designed mini helicopter led to the discovery of a cannabis drying shed and a plant cutting facility. The canna-chopper senses heat and takes air samples out of ventilator shafts and chimneys, it is able to 'smell' THC. The mini helicopter, which can stay airborne for a maximum of eight hours, is used to track down indoor cannabis plantations.

Cannabis plantation is a huge industry worth as much as EUR 2 billion where 80 percent of the marijuana is exported.

I am Dutch, to me, smoking cannabis is something for juveniles and tourists and, in general, a non-issue. I don't smoke myself, it makes me fall asleep or makes me sick, so, well, in my twenties I just gave up. I don't even drink these days since I am solely a social drinker.

Weed is silly, it is deemed illegal because someone wrote that down somewhere at some point; like pork shouldn't be consumed since that is written in the Kuran.

The chopper seems an exercise in transforming our society into a police state. "Uphold the law at all costs" is the new adagium in the Netherlands. I have no sympathy for fools. Change the damned law and legalize, at least we would make money instead of wasting it on non-issues.