Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

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.


Read more Here

 

Heavily armed police were pelted with gunfire, grenades and even mortars Smiley Surprised

People living in small towns have guns, grenades and mortars? So they really are protecting their plantations!

 

"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."

 

Sheesh, what happened to using land for growing food crops and keeping goats and chickens?

 

 

 

 

 

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Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

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
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@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.  Woman LOL

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Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

Such a waste......Woman Mad

 

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

 

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



____________________________
"High and low pressure systems cause the day-to-day changes in our weather." ...Metoffice.......


siggie-reported-by-alarmists..............
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@siggie-reported-by-alarmists wrote:

Such a waste......Woman Mad

 

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

 

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.

 

 

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Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town

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



____________________________
"High and low pressure systems cause the day-to-day changes in our weather." ...Metoffice.......


siggie-reported-by-alarmists..............
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@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

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That explains a lot

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@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.

 

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Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town


@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.

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Marijuana Cloud Hangs Over Town



@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.

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