topic Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town in Community Spirit

Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

icyfroth — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 23:49:24 GMT

A huge plume of marijuana smoke is hovering over an Albanian town after a police crackdown on its notorious drug trade.

Heavily armed police were pelted with gunfire, grenades and even mortars as they tried to rid the town of Lazarat, Europe's biggest producer of marijuana, of its main crop, the Associated Press reports.

The hills of the village in the country's south yields around 900 tons of cannabis a year, worth close to $6.5 billion – or nearly half the small country's GDP.

The operation in the village, population 5000, is in its fifth day has seen the destruction of 80,000 plants and more than 12.8 tons of cannabis while 80 houses have been searched.

Residents have reportedly seen the events unfold on live television, burning their own crops as authorities close in.

"What did I do wrong? I just wanted five plants like everybody else," Lumturi Koli, a 42-year-old widower, told Reuters.

"I should have been first to plant them because I have to care for my children."

While thirteen people have been arrested for drug offences and firing on police, miraculously no-one has been killed despite long blasts of gunfire.

Four have been slightly wounded, including two shepherds who were hit by stray rounds.

The raids have been part of an overhaul push by Albania and its new Socialist government to gain entry into the European Union.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

punch*drunk — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 23:57:08 GMT

"I should have been first to plant them because I have to care for my children."

Marijuana's a pretty strange thing to feed your children. We grow stuff like lettuce, tomatos, beetroot, broccoli etc. Seems to keep the kids healthy enough.....now if we could only get the chooks to lay some eggs

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

durruticolumna — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:01:34 GMT

5 kg of grass=€10,000· 5 kg of tomatoes=€10

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

icyfroth — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:19:47 GMT

@durruticolumna wrote:
5 kg of grass=€10,000· 5 kg of tomatoes=€10

Oh I know...and it destroys the lives of other ppls kids so no worries.

And with all that money made one can buy guns grenades and rocket launchers, and protection rackets to keep your crops safe.

I wonder the authorities destroyed this lot. They must not have been in on the cut.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

cherples — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:26:24 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:
@durruticolumna wrote:
5 kg of grass=€10,000· 5 kg of tomatoes=€10
Oh I know...and it destroys the lives of other ppls kids so no worries.
And with all that money made one can buy guns grenades and rocket launchers, and protection rackets to keep your crops safe.

I wonder the authorities destroyed this lot. They must not have been in on the cut.

I'd rather my kids try a bit a paddock grown marijuana than back yard cooked chemical drugs, if they're going to try any at all.

I don't think I've ever heard of any lives being destroyed or lost by smoking a bit of plain old garden variety marijuana.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

punch*drunk — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:33:28 GMT

I don't think I've ever heard of any lives being destroyed or lost by smoking a bit of plain old garden variety marijuana.

I'm sure those kids that go without food, clothing or even a roof over thier head so their parents can get high wouldnt agree with you.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

durruticolumna — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:59:52 GMT

I think you'd find they grow it to put food on the table for their kids.Much like the coca leaf growers in Colombia.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

patchoo78 — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 01:16:59 GMT

@punch*drunk wrote:
I don't think I've ever heard of any lives being destroyed or lost by smoking a bit of plain old garden variety marijuana.

I'm sure those kids that go without food, clothing or even a roof over thier head so their parents can get high wouldnt agree with you.

You can't really blame the drug for that... That's like blaming a gun for killing someone.. Blame the useless parents.

It seems the perception of people who smoke marijuana is that they sit around all day getting high and not feeding their kids

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

punch*drunk — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 01:31:54 GMT

It seems the perception of people who smoke marijuana is that they sit around all day getting high and not feeding their kids

It happens whether people want to believe it or not.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

icyfroth — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 01:37:24 GMT

@durruticolumna wrote:
I think you'd find they grow it to put food on the table for their kids.Much like the coca leaf growers in Colombia.

Hmmm... I think you'd find they had no trouble putting food on the table previous to the cartels coming in and making them offers they couldn't refuse to change over to the more lucrative crop.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

durruticolumna — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 02:08:52 GMT

Albania is a very poor country.I doubt very much they have the same social services/security that we have.
They do have beautiful sheep though:D

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

icyfroth — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 02:50:40 GMT

@durruticolumna wrote:
Albania is a very poor country.I doubt very much they have the same social services/security that we have.
They do have beautiful sheep though:D

Probably true re their social services, not sure about their sheep as I've never set eyes on them.

Not sure what either has to do with the topic, though.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

siggie-reported-by-alarmists — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 06:23:06 GMT

Such a waste......

They could have kept it for those in medical need.......

Perhaps if the government could export it legally.......Albania could become a very wealthy country........

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

icyfroth — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:14:07 GMT

@siggie-reported-by-alarmists wrote:
Such a waste......

They could have kept it for those in medical need.......

Perhaps if the government could export it legally.......Albania could become a very wealthy country........

There's something disturbing about mind-altering substance crops being cultivated so ppl can put food on their table, rather than actually growing food.

Reminds of how they plowed orchard of oranges and plums into the ground in the Hawkesbury region here in NSW and turned them into turf farms.

More grass lol.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

siggie-reported-by-alarmists — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 05:32:51 GMT

Nothing disturbing at all.............think about who grows opium so we can have morphine in our hospitals..

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

cherples — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 20:48:46 GMT

@siggie-reported-by-alarmists wrote:
Nothing disturbing at all.............think about who grows opium so we can have morphine in our hospitals..

Thinking about Tasmanian farmers

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

icyfroth — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 21:55:12 GMT

That explains a lot

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

cherples — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 01:47:21 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:
That explains a lot

Does it?

http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2001/plenary/1/fist.htm

A.J. Fist

Tasmanian Alkaloids Pty Ltd, Westbury, Tasmania.

Abstract

Tasmania is the world’s largest producer of opium alkaloids for the pharmaceutical market. The area sown to poppies is close to 20,000 ha, and the industry is one of the larger employers in the State.

The application of science and technology has been critical to the development of the poppy industry. High yielding varieties and efficient production methods allow the Tasmanian industry to compete successfully on the world market.

Farmers, government research agencies, and the processing companies have each been important in the development of new technology for the poppy industry. In recent years, the activity of government research agencies has declined and their role has largely been replaced by private enterprise.

The strengths of the industry include its strong market focus and the close relationship with poppy growers.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

icyfroth — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 02:18:56 GMT

@cherples wrote:
@icyfroth wrote:
That explains a lot
Does it?

http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2001/plenary/1/fist.htm

A.J. Fist
Tasmanian Alkaloids Pty Ltd, Westbury, Tasmania.
Abstract
Tasmania is the world’s largest producer of opium alkaloids for the pharmaceutical market. The area sown to poppies is close to 20,000 ha, and the industry is one of the larger employers in the State.
The application of science and technology has been critical to the development of the poppy industry. High yielding varieties and efficient production methods allow the Tasmanian industry to compete successfully on the world market.
Farmers, government research agencies, and the processing companies have each been important in the development of new technology for the poppy industry. In recent years, the activity of government research agencies has declined and their role has largely been replaced by private enterprise.
The strengths of the industry include its strong market focus and the close relationship with poppy growers.

Thank you, I didn't know that.

Re: Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

cherples — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 04:22:46 GMT

@icyfroth wrote:

Thank you, I didn't know that.

You're welcome. It's probably not a high profile industry in terms of Australian manufacturing.