THE temptation, when it comes to ‘softer’ drugs like cannabis, is to imagine that because the substance itself is - relatively - harmless compared to the likes of heroin the same must be true of its production.

As countless police investigations and court cases have repeatedly shown, though, nothing could be further from the truth.

When it comes to anything above people growing purely for personal use, cannabis production is big business which can, and does, generate money that sponsors all kinds of very serious crime.

West Yorkshire Police, like forces up and down the country, have found that cannabis cultivation is often linked to some of the worst activities imaginable - including human and firearm trafficking and modern-day slavery.

Which is why every time a cannabis ‘farm’ gets raided, as happened twice in Yeadon last weekend, it should be a cause for celebration just as it is when a consignment of heroin gets intercepted.

The two drugs might be miles apart when it comes to addictiveness and the danger each poses to our health, although studies have shown that skunk cannabis - the extra-strong variety - could be causing as much as a quarter of all new cases of psychotic mental conditions.

But in terms of their production they are both propping up criminal acts of the most despicable kind.

Of course there is a much wider debate to be had about what impact legalising such substances.

Right now, we should be content to say ‘well done’ to the local Neighbourhood Policing Team for shutting down two more arms of organised crime that had been operating among us.