Marihuana fields in Switzerland
Tobacco of the poor. Marihuana Fields in Switzerland.
© 2001 Peter Dammann. In Switzerland little bags with “dried flowers and aromatics” are sold, they are actually filled with first class marihuana, yearly 600 million Swiss francs are earned this way. It is not industrial hemp, which contains 0,7 THC, but ecological hemp containing 7 to 12% THC. About 700.000 people buy this ecological product in about 300 stores in Switzerland, which is known as paradise for smokers.
The Swiss government’s reaction to the existence of 700.000 smokers is to revise the narcotic laws in spring 2002. Soon smoking marihuana will be legalized. How this will infect the farmers growing marihuana is still to be discussed. The main person in the planed photo documentary will be Bernhard Rappaz, the son of a winegrower of the Valais, who is a pioneer in growing marihuana. He employs farmers all over the Valais, who plant marihuana on all together 45 hectares. Bernhard Rappaz grants to buy their complete harvest. Growing marihuana has never been forbidden in Switzerland, as it is not a member neither of the European Community nor of the UN. There exists a long tradition of growing hemp in this country, e.g. in the 1920’s the farmers delivered hemp to prisons, sold as a substitute for tobacco, they called it “The tobacco of the poor”. The new hemp growers are experimenting – they harvest some of the hemp in snowy December – the chemical substances change that way and it seems less harmful to the lungs. There are discussions about sale strategies after the legalization. They are afraid, that they will over powered by the big multinational companies. “We have to gain experience now and we have to expand quickly.”
NO PODRÁS IR CAMINANDO POR LA CALLE PERO CON ESE PAISAJE CON ESAS CHALAS, A DONDE QUERÉS IR? AL MICROCENTRO? YO ME QUEDO FLASHEANDO AHI.. EL VERSO DEL AROMATIZANTE NO SE LO CREE NADIE!!
