Police seized a large number of cannabis plants growing in woodland in St David's yesterday afternoon. The operation at Smith's Hill Drive took place around 2.25pm after a report came in to police.A spokesman described the find as “trees in a 30 by 30 patch,” and Inspector Kuhn Evans said: “We have discovered a large quantity of potted cannabis plants. It seems to be quite an extensive cultivation going on.”No arrests were made. The raid came a week after detectives seized four-foot-tall potted cannabis plants in a “heavily vegetated” area of St David's on June 27.They did not disclose further details of that location, but said: “There was evidence suggesting that other cannabis plants had been growing in this area and had been uprooted and taken away by suspected grower(s) prior to the police discovery.”Reacting to yesterday's find, National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief said: “I'm happy the police are obviously getting inside information and tips about the cultivation of cannabis.“Cannabis seems to be the drug that's most widely used and abused in this country by ordinary citizens. It's not abating, and as a society we're going to have to come up with some strategies. We are going to have to have a big conversation about the whole situation around it.”Mr Perinchief has called in the past for some cannabis offences to be downgraded so small-scale first-time users could be dealt with outside the courts and offered rehabilitation. However, he is against legalising it.“Legalising has a vast difference from decriminalising it for personal use,” he explained.He believes more people may be growing cannabis locally in the aftermath of recent busts on yachts allegedly bringing in drugs from overseas.Mr Perinchief said: “I don't think it's just a downturn in the economy. The taking of the risk of growing drugs locally might well be due to the interdiction of large amounts coming in from overseas.