Cannabis plants take to Greek weather
Greece’s fine weather seems to be conducive to the growing of cannabis, particularly in Crete, police sources said, as the number of illegal plants unearthed throughout the country over the last three years has more than doubled. Only in the last 12 months, police have discovered 39,810 plants while in 2002 the total number found reached 16,000. This year the number is expected to be in excess of 30,000. Crete seems to be drawing all the business, with most plants being discovered on Greece’s largest island. The prefecture of Ilia, in the Peloponnese, comes a distant second. Police said Crete has a highly organized cannabis production industry with trees there sometimes reaching as high as 3.5 meters. Most of the hashish, which is considered to be top quality, is distributed in markets outside Greece. «It is certain that large quantities from the domestic production leave Crete,» said a senior police source from Hania. The cannabis most commonly found in Greece comes from Albania, police said.
