08 March 2006

Moroccan cannabis farmers face ruin


here's a story that comes by way of aljazeera.net.

morocco doesnt want farmers in the Rif region to grow cannabis despite the fact that this is a destitute region, two-thirds of the farmers there grow it; its estimated to be a 12 billion dollar industry. the moroccan government hasnt provided any viable alternatives for farmers to "develop new sources of income." the moroccan government's alternative: tending goats and planting fruit trees. LOL does this reasoning sound familar?


aljazeera snip:
Known locally as "Kif" or "green gold", cannabis grows well in the Rif's wild and isolated terrain, and its leaves and flowers are easily transformed into the resin sold on street corners from Amsterdam to Marseille.

But the "green gold" has not enriched the Rif.

In al-Kulla and other villages, people live in homes built of mud and travel by donkey along bone-shaking roads. Many houses are without electricity, running water or toilets and food supplies are often threatened by drought.

Decades of legislation and international conventions failed to stop cannabis cultivation spreading, as locals switched out of less lucrative crops in an attempt to earn hard cash.

read more.
====
related post:
  • louisiana pot farmers beware
  • ====

    EXTERNAL LINK