Italy: Cannabis War vs Financial Crisis

[The Cannabist]

Thanks to an agreement with the Albanian police, an Italian Guardia di Finanza aircraft has been flying reconnaissance missions over the neighboring territory of Albania where they claim to have discovered more than 500 cannabis plantations ready to supply the European market with a harvest of nearly a thousand tons; a market value of €4.5 billion. This is the same Italian Guardia di Finanza who is supposed to be concerning itself with the financial well-being of Italy and the overall economic health of Europe. With all the money spent on high-tech camera equipment and a very expensive plane, they were able to find what anyone could find with a simple Google search: Lazarat, the cannabis cultivation capital of Europe. That money, time and technology could have been used to contribute to what little efforts are being made to restore the Italian economy.

Furthermore, by basically declaring war on a small Albanian village, who depend entirely on cannabis, the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, ironically, is contributing to the destruction of a local economy which sustains men, women, children, schools and everything that these villagers need to survive and thrive. Historically, the Albanian government tended to allow this small community to live peacefully, but now Italy is pressuring them to take military action against farmers who are simply trying to provide for their families and fellow villagers. The people of Lazarat, however, are not willing to have their lifeline cut off.

Last year, during an attempted blitz, the Police Commissioner of Lazarat said, “I saw a 70-year-old grandmother shooting at us with a heavy machine gun.” Where does one see a 70 year-old grandmother with a heavy machine gun? I'll tell you where... in a community where its members stick together to protect their family and local economy. The authorities in Italy would like to have us believe that this grandmother is some sort of narco-terrorist. But have they considered that this grandmother has children and grandchildren, and maybe, just maybe, her main concern is the well-being of her future generations and fellow community members. In fact, it is said that up to 90 percent of the village residents — 7,000 in all — are believed to take part in the overall business of cannabis cultivation. How does the Italian Ministry of Economics and Finance plan on helping this village when it ends up with a 90% unemployment rate?

After reading many comments posted in Italian on this issue, I can say that the average person in Italy is not happy with this war on cannabis and would much rather see those government funds spent more wisely and compassionately in efforts to revive our economy.

[Dust]

Pretty sad situation in albania it seems, thanks for sharing this little article, can you put at the end of your post the link to the Source of the text when you copy something, if it is copied, if it from you then congratz ^^

Have a good day

[The Cannabist]

Hello Dust! The post was written by me. I didn't put the sources because they are in Italian. I like to read cannabis news in Italian and then write about it in English. I've always enjoyed writing and I sometimes wonder if I should have studied to become a journalist. Anyway, here are some links to the articles I read in Italian.

Lazarat (Albania) da qui viene l’erba che si fuma in Italia

Albania, ricognizione aerea della Gdf. Centinaia le piantagioni di marijuana

[laocoo]

Hello Dust! The post was written by me. I didn't put the sources because they are in Italian. I like to read cannabis news in Italian and then write about it in English. I've always enjoyed writing and I sometimes wonder if I should have studied to become a journalist. Anyway, here are some links to the articles I read in Italian.

Lazarat (Albania) da qui viene l’erba che si fuma in Italia

Albania, ricognizione aerea della Gdf. Centinaia le piantagioni di marijuana

Albanian weed sucks and mostly is poison... smell of nh3... and pple that use guns.... they are delinquents.... no doubt... cannabist grow some pot, rather do the journaslist...

[Gaz]

Not like the governments to be wasting tax payers money. Got there priorities all wrong as usual.

[The Cannabist]

Albanian weed sucks and mostly is poison... smell of nh3... and pple that use guns.... they are delinquents.... no doubt... cannabist grow some pot, rather do the journaslist...

Ciao Laocoo! I've never smoked Albanian weed and I'm sorry to hear that you have had a bad experience with it. I, too, have smoked bad weed from places like Morocco, Mexico and South America. Bad weed can come from anywhere on the planet, and bad weed can also come from unscrupulous drug dealer who add all kinds of junk to their cannabis in order to increase the weight.

I don't know about Italy, but growing up in America I learned that the right to bear arms against a repressive government was a normal part of society. Colombians, Moroccans, Jamaicans, Africans, Asians, Americans and even Europeans protect their property with arms. I believe it is their right to do so. I personally don't like violence and always wish that we could resolve conflicts peacefully. What I failed to mentioned is that during that blitz on Lazarat, the police forces came in with snipers and military like units to take over a whole community; and not a small group of drug lords. When 90% of an entire village is involved in growing marijuana, you are no longer dealing with a small drug gang; you are dealing with a way a life for an entire group of people. Cannabis should not be illegal is what the real point is, not whether citizens bear arms to protect their property, livelihood, community and family. I would have liked to have become a journalist because I enjoy writing; I've never claimed to be a journalist. We're all just amateur writers here sharing our opinions. And yes, I do grow my own herbs!

[The Cannabist]

Not like the governments to be wasting tax payers money. Got there priorities all wrong as usual.

Hey Gaz, couldn't agree with you more! Governments seem to always have their priorities confused.

In one of the comments from the Italian articles an upset reader wrote, "mandiamo un aereo della finanza a sorvolare l'albania, di cui non ci frega nulla, poi non si trova un elicottero in Sicilia, ITALIA, per salvare la VITA ad una partoriente, che muore a quaranta anni. Vi sembra normale?"

Here's a rough translation, "We send a government plane to fly over Albania, who we care little about, whilst here in Sicily, ITALY, we can't find a helicopter to save the LIFE of a (pregnant) woman in labor, who consequently dies at age forty. Does this seem normal?"

[Dust]

congratulation on the writing then man really easy and enjoyable to read

[The Cannabist]

congratulation on the writing then man really easy and enjoyable to read

Thanks Dust! I'll definitely be doing more to keep the Hunters updated on what's happening with the cannabis culture in Italy!