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CYCLONE Yasi has helped Far Northern police in the fight against drug use and growing, wiping out much of the region's marijuana crops.

The destructive wind which destroyed forest areas has exposed drug crops.

“We would expect that a lot of the cannabis would have been destroyed,” Far Northern Drug Squad Det Sen-Sgt Kevin Goan said.

“The surrounding foliage would no longer be providing cover and concealment to assist the cultivation of the plants.”

Specialised lights used to grow marijuana plants are also believed to have been cut during the storm.

“If anyone were to be engaged in that activity long-term, a loss of power would impact on the success of their enterprise,” Sen-Sgt Goan said.

“We are going to keeping monitoring if there has been any significant impact and try and target any substitute of
supply.”

Although the scale of the damage cannot be determined, Sen-Sgt Goan said one of the biggest impacts to the Far North drug trade came in the 1990s with the seizure of almost 94,000 cannabis plants at Cardwell.

Local mental health services have welcomed the news but warn it will likely be a temporary hiccup in marijuana production and use.

“We would definitely welcome less of it around,” a mental health worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

“There is new data coming out that shows cannabis can progress to cause mental health issues earlier.”
Police urge anyone with knowledge of marijuana use or supply to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.