Dear Editor, There is a special provision in the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004, number 33, that allows you to grow as many marijuana plants as you want, as long as you don’t use it for a pharmacological effect.

I will move very quickly to explain how this is already happening in the US and we can do the same thing here.

The high price of pig feed has led many farmers across the US to look for cheaper food sources.

Farmers are now adding cannabis to their pig feed as an alternative source with surprising results. Cannabis fed pigs are 9-13 kilos heavier than other pigs given their usual food.

Farmers are reporting that pigs fed cannabis are the most docile they have ever raised.

Feeding pigs marijuana plants does not make them high. There is no known toxic dosage for marijuana toxicity in pigs. When cooking pork all traces of THC are destroyed and there is no pharmacological effect on the consumer.

Prime Minister Mark Brown acknowledges inflation’s impact on imported goods and suggests growing local food to combat it, while emphasising economic growth.

By feeding local pigs with homegrown marijuana plants all three of the statements made by the PM above can be actioned on.

#1 - Feeding pigs marijuana plants will cut down or eliminate importing high-cost pig feed.

#2 - Feeding pigs cannabis will increase their weight and thereby provide more food.

#3 - When combining numbers 1 and 2, it promotes economic growth in our community.

However, pig farmers must be careful not to run afoul of the Drugs Act.

Don’t grow marijuana to help alleviate any debilitating conditions: Namely -pain, chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, depression, Multiple Sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, insomnia, glaucoma, epilepsy and seizures, alcoholism and drug addiction, PTSD, lowering blood pressure, alleviating the effects of chemotherapy, severe nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatment, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, ALS, Hiv-Aids, Crohn's disease, anorexia, autism, Lupus, migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, nerve pain from diabetes and Hepatitis C.

Grow as many marijuana plants as you want in your plantation to feed your pigs.

Steve Boggs