Users, such as this smoker at a pro-cannabis rally, may be unaware of the drug’s human cost

USERS may view cannabis as a recreational drug that harms no one but it has emerged that children are being trafficked into Scotland and forced to work as slaves on secret farms growing the drug on an industrial scale.

People who consume cannabis are now being urged to consider how it is sourced, following concerns about the extent of child exploitation in the industry.

Each year, between 10 and 15 trafficked children, mainly from Vietnam, are referred to guardians trained to help them come to terms with the trauma they have experienced after being transported to Scotland to work on cannabis farms.

Aberlour, a children’s charity, provides a Scottish government-funded guardianship service managed by the Scottish Refugee Council, working with victims of trafficking as well