Judges stoned at Spanish potgrowers' contest

By Simon Gardner

MADRID, Oct 25 (Reuters) Spanish marijuana growers staged their
firstever contest on Saturday to choose the best cannabis crop, but judges
who had to smoke 10 different samples were in no condition to pick a
winner.

Defying Spain's drug laws, which are among the most lenient in Europe, 51
marijuana lovers who cultivate cannabis illegally for their own use
gathered at a private club to compete for the first annual ``Madrid
Marijuana Cup.''

The growers, acting as their own judges, wasted no time in dividing up the
samples, rolling joints and lighting up. Clouds of aromatic smoke wafted
across the room. One woman passed out and had to be taken outside for some
fresh air.

``We are holding this competition to lobby for a law allowing us to grow
marijuana for our own private consumption,'' said Javier Mestre, vice
president of the Association for the Study of Cannabis, which sponsored the
contest.

Mestre said the event was inspired by a regional court ruling earlier this
year that allowed a group of growers in northeastern Spain to cultivate
marijuana for their own consumption.

It is illegal to buy or sell cannabis in Spain, but police rarely take any
action against individuals for smoking marijuana in private.

The rules of the contest called for the marijuana samples to be judged for
appearance, taste and effect on a scale of one to 10. Each judges was given
10 small plastic bags, each containing two grammes.

Organisers realised the judges would be in no condition to vote after
smoking such a large quantity, so they gave them until Sunday evening to
recover their senses and pick a winner.

``My favourite weed is smooth, doesn't burn the throat, hits you hard in
the chest and sends your head spinning,'' said Manuel Doblas, a longhaired
32yearold grower, as he puffed away on a thick marijuana cigar.

The mood was mostly festive, but one woman grower became frantic when she
learned that her sample was going to be smoked by all the other competitors.

``There's no way anyone else is smoking my grass,'' she barked as she
retrieved her jar of marijuana leaves.

An elderly woman living across the street said she was disgusted at what
was going on and called the club members ``filthy addicts.''

``They're just a bunch of goodfornothings,'' she said.

Mestre warned the more than 100 club members attending the contest to watch
out for police on their way home.

``There are some police disguised as longhaired hippies up the road asking
people for identification and fining them,'' he said through a dense cloud
of smoke.