Swedish company sells lamps for growing pot

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 19 (UPI) -- A Swedish lamp company has drawn criticism for selling products designed for the growing of marijuana in the United States.

Heliospectra Chief Executive Officer Staffan Hillberg said U.S. company Radiant has been given the license to sell the company's florescent lamp products for the purpose of growing medical marijuana where the practice is legal, The Local.se reported Friday.

"Since marijuana is illegal in Sweden we gave our licence to the American company Radiant," Hillberg told the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper. "It's a brand new market, getting the same buzz as Viagra did in its early days."

Medical marijuana is currently legal in 18 U.S. states.

Erik Leijonmarck at the Institute for Security and Development Policy criticized Heliospectra's move.

"The problem is that most of the marketing and sales of the drug is directed at young people and it's easy to get a hold of, all you need is a doctor's note and nowadays they are pretty liberal with prescriptions," he said.

However, Leijonmarck conceded the move was likely inevitable.

"That a Swedish company is selling equipment used to make marijuana is a shame, but it's bound to happen," he said. "We unfortunately have to accept that some states have decided to legalize marijuana."