In an effort to crack down on the use of recreational drugs across the UK, a clever printing initiative has been launched by a leading independent charity, which has led to the production of scratch-and-sniff cards that recreate the smell of cannabis.

PrintWeek revealed that a Crimestoppers campaign, launched this week (March 19th), will aim to curb the “growing problem” of cannabis factories in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; since April 2012, it is estimated that their numbers have grown by 15 per cent.

Crimestoppers is aware that many people are still unaware of the smell of growing cannabis, and so commissioned the cards to empower members of the public to protect their local areas by informing authorities of this illegal practice.

Inspired by a similar successful project in the Netherlands, the idea was created by advertising and marketing agency The Edge Factory, though was not without early problems.

According to managing director JanCees Neef, finding a chemical company capable of distilling cannabis oil but removing the psychoactive element tetrahydrocannabinol – known to most people as THC – was not easy. He said: “We put a lot of research into this, we tested it with screen printing and offset. It took three years to get to production.”

Commenting on the new campaign, Lord Ashcroft, founder and chairman of Crimestoppers, said: “Those who are cultivating cannabis tend to be involved in other areas of crime and are often involved in related gang crime and other violent crimes involving firearms. We want to help put an end to this.”