The other green belt

BY THE time police were called to look at “a few cannabis plants” in a wasteland in south-west London, the site played host to a forest five feet high and the area of a football pitch. Officers cordoned it off on September 25th, with what sounded almost like a touch of regret for the gardeners. “All their time, trouble and gardening skills”, said Sarah Henderson, a police constable, “will go unrewarded.”

It takes a lot for marijuana growers to attract police attention these days. In July four forces—Derbyshire, Dorset, Durham and Surrey—declared that they would henceforth respond only to tip-offs and “blatant” weed use. Many other forces have also scaled things down, albeit quietly, according to Steve Rolles of Transform, a drug-policy think-tank.