And finally…gangsters complain of ‘saturated’ cannabis market as prices plummet

Gangsters who spoke to academics for new research have complained that the market in the Class B drug is “saturated”.

The comments were revealed in a new paper by researchers at the University of the West of Scotland as well as the University of West London and the Metropolitan State University in Minnesota.

Led by James Densley of Minnesota, the researchers said in the paper published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, that gangland sources “continuously stated the cannabis market was now saturated, with competition benefitting consumers but eating away at margins for suppliers”.

They added: “The time and specialist skills required to successfully differentiate one’s brand in the marketplace made cannabis growing less attractive for many.”

The news comes as figures from the Scottish Drug Misuse Database suggest cocaine has also become cheaper and more readily available.

The report said: “For a number of years (2009/10-2014/15), the percentage of individuals reporting recent cocaine/crack cocaine use ranged from 11 per cent to 13 per cent.

“However, recent cocaine/crack cocaine use has increased to 19 per cent (2016/17) over the last two years. This change may be related to decreases in price and increases in purity of cocaine.”