The scale of the problem of cannabis being grown in the UK – and in West Yorkshire in particular – is revealed today, and it does not make particularly pleasant reading.

Nationally, a total of 7,895 cannabis farms were discovered last year, up 15 per cent on the previous year. In this county, there were a total of 936 found by police.

Too many still regard cannabis as a less dangerous drug than so-called ‘harder’ illegal substances like heroin or cocaine. But the potential health risks of smoking cannabis are well documented, and there are also concerns that young people who start using cannabis are more likely to experiment with other drugs.

Aside from the health damage, though, it is a growth area for the vicious gangs involved in organised crime, and who make their living from dealing in other people’s misery.

Cultivating cannabis is a criminal trade, and officers have pledged to come down hard on those caught growing plants.

West Yorkshire Police say one of the reasons there is such a high level in this area is because the force is particularly good at ‘recording and retrieving data’ relating to local factories. There is certainly no doubt that in the Bradford district barely a week goes by without the police reporting a successful raid on at least one cannabis factory, and often on more.

This proactive work is to be commended, and any low-level operation that is taken off the streets is a victory in the fight against drugs. But it is the men behind these operations who really need to be brought to task.

Hopefully, the more front-line factories that are taken out of the picture, the more risks these people will have to take. In the meantime, we would encourage anyone suspicious of any activity they see which might be related to drug supply to let the police know.