For every synthetic cannabinoid the authorities have banned, a half-dozen more have popped up, all of which are less understood by doctors than cannabis.
The only one that doesn't support a broadly conservative social and economic agenda is the "cannabis is less dangerous than alcohol" party.
The ACMD said that the latest data showed that 7.6% of young people aged 16 to 24 had tried laughing gas in the past 12 months and it was now the second most popular recreational drug in Britain after cannabis.
But the ban had no real effect, and when the troops came home, they brought cannabis with them.
Gautier was impressed by Moreau's theories, especially perhaps his description of cannabis as "an intellectual intoxication", preferable to the "ignoble heavy drunkenness" of alcohol.
More than 20 officers raided a four-storey terrace house in a residential street in Woolwich, south-east London, where they discovered 800 cannabis plants.
There were no traces recorded in the city for the other three drugs tested – cannabis, methamphetamine and amphetamine.
The ski resort of Breckenridge decriminalised the possession of small amounts of cannabis and consumption in private for recreational use several years ago.
The jury heard further details about what the police raids uncovered inside Roberts' home, including nine packets of cannabis, 16g of crack cocaine, a small amount of heroin and just over £500 in cash.
"We are talking about ordinary terrace or semi-detached houses in quiet streets, specifically bought or rented for the sole purpose of growing cannabis.
The smashing of cannabis production gangs is part of the Metropolitan police's new approach to combating organised crime by focusing on major criminal networks, rather than individuals, involved in illegal activity.
