POLICE are to be congratulated for a drug bust that saw more than 300 cannabis plants seized from four compounds in Northern Tasmania.
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The raid is potentially the biggest of the season and could be worth more than $500,000.
After months of investigation, the operation took the total number of plants seized in Northern Tasmania to more than 500.
Since July, almost 2000 plants have been detected, including 700 in the North-West and more than 600 in the South.
Interceptions of processed cannabis have also been highest on the North-West Coast with 22.5 kilograms seized there compared with 8.5 kilograms in the North and 14 kilograms in the South.
However, the reaction to the raid in some quarters was bizarre.
Many online commentators were critical of the police for wasting time and taxpayers' money cracking down on cannabis.
Some argued that outlawing cannabis has, like prohibition of alcohol, only benefited criminals and that regulating and taxing marijuana would lower crime and increase revenue.
Others viewed it as a harmless drug and wanted police to focus on harder drugs such as crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice. One would like to think that police can and are focusing on all illicit drug use as well as enforcing alcohol laws.
Cannabis is clearly a gateway to harder drugs - not necessarily because smoking cannabis makes users want or need to try harder drugs, but because it puts people into contact with dealers of more serious drugs.
The fact that cannabis seizures are highest on the North-West Coast where evidence of ice use appears strongest suggests that is the case. Perhaps part of the criticism of any crackdown on cannabis stems from confusing the illicit dealing of the drug with potential medicinal use.
If you really feel strongly about legalising cannabis, then lobby your local politician, do not criticise police for enforcing the law.