Edward McCann, the Real Life Walter White of Cannabis

In 2010, Edward McCann was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent chemotherapy, after which he began using cannabis to alleviate some of the more unpleasant side effects associated with chemotherapy. But his relationship with cannabis didn’t end there, as McCann became a cannabis producer of such a large scale that his operation has earned him comparisons to Walter White from Breaking Bad.

When Edward McCann was diagnosed with leukemia, he set up his own “cannabis factory” following his diagnosis and is now being compared to Walter White from Breaking Bad.

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McCann Turns to Cannabis Following Leukemia Diagnosis

In 2010, Edward McCann was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent chemotherapy, after which he began using cannabis to alleviate some of the more unpleasant side effects associated with chemotherapy.

But his relationship with cannabis didn’t end there, as McCann became a cannabis producer in Hampshire, southern England.

From Little Things, Big Things Grow

According to The Times, McCann began growing cannabis, initially on a small scale, before expanding, eventually running an “industrial-scale cannabis factory” hidden on a remote farm in Wales.

Police estimate that McCann made about £4.3 million from cannabis sales, some of which went toward his daughter Samantha’s university fees.

Unlike Walter White, McCann Made Cannabis a Family Affair

Unlike Walter White, who in Breaking Bad spent most of his time producing methamphetamine in hiding from his family, McCann has made his cannabis empire a family business.

That means his wife and son were also convicted along with him, his wife Linda helped set up the cannabis cultivation in Wales, and his son Daniel helped tend the plants.

McCann Faces Almost Eight Years Prison

Last month, McCann was sentenced to seven years and seven months behind bars, his wife to six years and seven months, and his son Daniel to eight years and six months.

Two other cultivation workers were also charged and given sentences. During the cannabis production investigation, charges were brought against daughter Samantha but later dropped.

McCann admitted wanting to produce and deliver cannabis between 2015 and 2020, while he and his son also admitted to growing on a smaller scale at their home between 2013 and 2015.

Farther-Son Text Messages Tipped Off Police

Police managed to catch McCann thanks to messages exchanged between father and son. Then, on October 23, 2020, officers entered a barn on a farm in Wales, where they discovered a sizable cannabis crop.

Officers secured 202 cannabis plants with a total value of £460,000 and cannabis products worth £1.5 million, such as oil and chocolate.

Officers discovered that the barn was drawing electricity directly from a nearby electric pole to avoid detection by using suspiciously large amounts of power.

McCann Cannabis Factory the Most Sophisticated Judge Had Seen

The judge presiding over the case, Judge Geraint Walters, said the crop operated by McCann was “the most sophisticated cannabis factory” he had ever seen.

Judge Walters acknowledged that McCann first took up cannabis intending to alleviate the worst effects of chemotherapy but added that the scale of production went far beyond that.

He said: “The reality is that you have moved on from that, and it would be an insult to common sense to suggest that cultivation on that scale had anything to do with the production of medical cannabis.”

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(Featured image by Washarapol D BinYo Jundang via Pexels)

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