A Devon granny discovered she was growing cannabis by accident

The mystery weed turned out to be... well, weed.

A Devon granny discovered she was growing cannabis by accident

A granny from Devon was in for a bit of a surprise when she discovered the unknown weed in her garden turned out to be... weed.

Pensioner Patricia Hewitson got in touch with The Potting Shed - a gardening show on BBC Radio Devon - for some help identifying a mystery plant that had been growing in her garden since July.

She soon had her answer.

Post by BBC Radio Devon.

Turns out Patricia had been accidentally cultivating a five-foot-tall cannabis plant.

Oops.

The radio presenters confirmed the identity of the plant and sent photos on to the police without Patricia's details. They reassured her that in the circumstances they would not would not prosecute as long as the plant was destroyed.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police told the BBC:

“The lady has committed an offence although there are mitigating circumstances so we would not look to take it further although we would take it away.”

The grandmother-of-five says she believes the plant grew from a stray hemp seed from a bird feeder.

"It was very small at first, about the size of a petunia, with only four leaves. But I watched it grow until it was as tall as me," she said.

Patricia and her husband have been advised to compost it or take it to the police station to be destroyed.

And it's not the first time the retired health worker has encountered the plant:

"When I lived in South Africa one of my patients was a Rastafarian and he use to grow the stuff. But I never expected to find them growing in dear old Devon."

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