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Drug books in our libraries
KAY DIBBEN | Sunday Mail | 11jun06

LIBRARIES are lending books on how to grow and harvest cannabis, roll a joint and make a bong.

A Sunday Mail investigation found that while the books might be illegal under the Drugs Misuse Act, they were on shelves or in reference collections across Queensland including the State Library and council-operated libraries Brisbane City, Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Logan and Maroochy Shire.

The investigation comes after Rockhampton man Graham Manson Holden, 65, on Tuesday pleaded guilty in court to possession of two illegal books – The Advanced Growers' Guide to Marijuana Cultivation and Marijuana Grower's Insider's Guide.

But he was discharged absolutely without any fine or conviction after a magistrate was told there were similar books at the library.

Mr Holden – who said the books in his house had been left by a previous tenant – showed the magistrate photocopied covers of eight books he discovered at Rockhampton library after asking a staff member if the library stocked books on growing cannabis.

In May another Rockhampton man was fined $300 for possessing an illegal book on cannabis, The Secret Life of Weed.

Rockhampton Council's community and cultural development director Tom Upton yesterday said he had recalled all eight books shown to the magistrate. Police will inspect them within days.

Under section 8A of the Drugs Misuse Act, anyone who publishes or possesses instructions about how to produce a dangerous drug commits a crime.

One of the books recalled by the library, Cannabis by Jonathon Green, contains detailed instructions on how to grow the plant indoors and outdoors, cultivation, sexing the plants and harvesting.

The book also has diagrams and instructions on rolling a joint, making a cannabis bong and three "classic cannabis recipes" for hash brownies, cannabis ghee and a potent cannabis drink.

Inquiries by The Sunday Mail found council libraries of Brisbane City, Gold Coast City, Rockhampton, Logan and Maroochy Shire all lent the book.

Townsville City Council's copy was not returned by a borrower and is long overdue.

Another book available in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Townsville and Logan libraries, The Hemp Handbook by Gisela Schreiber, also has a chapter on growing hemp at home.

A book called Marijuana Cooking: good medicine made easy, has disappeared from Noosa Council library's mobile collection.

Acting Detective Superintendent Brian Wilkins, of the state drug and property crime group, said he would not like to see books containing cannabis growing instructions on library shelves.

Supt Wilkins said the Jonathon Green cannabis book could fall within the illegal category.

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nornerator

It scares me that other countries outlaw books... not that America is too far away from that, but I guess that is one thing I do like about America right now.

nacrypt

Actually the US does outlaw some literature besides obscene materials, for example it is illegal to pubish the formula to make C-4.