Pubdate: Mon, 11 Mar 2002
Source: Edinburgh Evening News (UK)
Copyright: 2002 The Scotsman Publications Ltd
Contact:  http://www.edinburghnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1626
Author: Graham Diggines

CANNABIS TO SNIFF OUT THE DRUG LORDS

INTERNATIONAL drug smugglers will soon find their movements being more 
closely monitored by police thanks to a pioneering process being developed 
at Edinburgh University.

The work of the scientists, which is being supported by the United Nations 
and Lothian and Borders Police, will allow authorities to discover where 
drugs are coming from and whether anti-drugs measures are working.

The process involves using cannabis as a "tracker" drug under the 
assumption that heroin and cocaine traffickers peddle the category C drug 
as well.

Using advanced know-how unique to Edinburgh University, researchers can 
tell how far north or south of the equator a batch of cannabis has been 
grown according to the levels of hydrogen and carbon in the drug.

The altitude at which the crop has been cultivated can be gauged according 
to nitrogen levels.

Finally, by cross-matching the information with samples taken from known 
cannabis farms across the world, scientists will soon be able to tell the 
origin of any cannabis seizure to within 100 miles.

David Kilgour, 26, has been working on the project with his supervisor, Dr 
Patrick Langridge-Smith, for two years.

He said: "This research will give police a valuable head start on the drugs 
gangs without having to rely on people infiltrating their ranks - which is 
obviously very dangerous. Lothian and Borders Police initially said this 
couldn't be done but we're proving that it can and they are now providing 
us with cannabis samples to help our research.

"The UN is also very interested because this process will be able to show 
how effective their anti-drugs measures are."

Mr Kilgour explained that the UN has a raft of measures it uses to dissuade 
cannabis farmers around the world from producing the highly lucrative 
contraband crop.

This includes paying them to destroy hemp plants.

Using the Edinburgh University breakthrough the UN will be able to see if 
the measures are working in areas, such as Afghanistan, the Middle East or 
Africa, by seeing how much cannabis from those areas turns up in drugs raids.

The UN is arranging for samples from known cannabis producing regions to 
help Edinburgh University complete its research.

Mr Kilgour said: "This could be one of the most time-consuming parts of the 
research because diplomacy over such a sensitive issue can take a long time.

"For instance we were able to obtain cannabis from Afghanistan just before 
September 11.

"But if America decides to take military action against Iraq that could 
complicate the process even further because so many Muslim countries 
produce cannabis."

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "This research could 
provide useful intelligence on where cannabis in the Edinburgh area comes 
from and what routes might be used for the drugs to arrive in this part of 
the country."

A Customs and Excise spokesman said: "We work very closely with colleagues 
overseas to try and find ways to stop drugs entering the country in the 
first place. Knowing where drugs come from would be vitally important in 
that respect."

The research is just one of the breakthroughs to be shown to Princess Anne 
when she opens the University of Edinburgh's new Biomolecular Research 
Centre today.

More than UKP8 million has been ploughed into the new centre off West Mains 
Road by a number of groups, including The Wellcome Trust, Scottish Higher 
Education Funding Council, and Scottish Enterprise.

The Princess Royal will also see how steroid analysis could help combat 
heart disease and new ways of killing the potentially fatal parasites which 
cause sleeping sickness in Africa.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom