Le cannabis pour revitaliser la campagne espagnole

The Spanish lands, bathed in Mediterranean sunshine, are a true European paradise.

Compared to their northern counterparts, such as Poland or the United Kingdom, the remarkable advantages of climate, geography, and land are obvious. Agriculture in Spain is vital to the national economy and represents almost 3% of the Spanish GDP and the Spaniards have been known for many centuries to be excellent crop growers of any type.

The luck of nature alone, however, is not a productive force and does not bring any wealth as it’s well documented in history. 

It is the correct management of the land's resources, not the resources themselves, that is essential to wealth. And also history has proven that too much of a good thing (be it oil or tulips) can be counterproductive for its inhabitants. 

And where does cannabis come in here? 

Cannabis, marijuana, hemp... Or whatever you prefer to call it, is one of the most useful plants known to mankind. It is easy to grow, withstands temperatures well, and is used from root to flower. Its applications range from fuel and fiber to medicinal and recreational. 

Right now, as rural Spain is being depopulated, a multi-billion dollar cannabis market is opening up. Correct use of the land would be to plant as versatile, eco-responsible, and profitable. 

China, the USA, and more and more Latin American countries are planting marijuana by the ton, opening up international markets and taking only a small part of the estimated profit to, on the other hand, be able to maintain some semblance of a war on drugs without their faces falling off in shame. 

Spanish lands have inestimable potential for the cannabis sector. Pioneers in this industry, like all pioneers, encounter a myriad of obstacles, but they also enjoy the delicious sap of discovery. 

Hempleaf is one such pioneer from southern Spain. Based in the city of Almeria, its owner Victor Manuel Manrique is fully aware of all the potentials of hemp. From textile fibers to plastics and biofuels. His work revolves around advising Spanish cannabis producers to grow in the most efficient way as well according to Spains regulations.

In that sense, he deals with farmers. People from the countryside who, disappointed with the work/benefit ratio of other crops, decide to give pot a try. Basically Hempleaf's job is to find buyers for these farmers, especially internationally. 

Abdel Ghani is one of those land workers who decided to try his luck. Hemp from Almeria, bathed in the Mediterranean sun and treated with care, is the best-used resource of the land. 

England, Holland, Poland... All potential European markets know it very well. And Abdel also knows it, who raised his family as a result of the fruit of the well-worked field. It is there, in the intelligent ruralization, where is the key to repopulate the Spanish countryside. Spain also has one key advantage over its competitors in Europe, it’s the country with the most progressive Cannabis laws in Europe. According to estimations from El Capitan, there are over 2000 legal Cannabis Clubs as well as an unknown figure of illegal Cannabis Clubs all around the country. 

The entrepreneurial and agricultural initiatives that arrive in the world of cannabis are often confronted with gray legislation, police officers anchored to the past and an obsolete financial system.

However, little by little they open spaces to use the blessing of the land in a profitable way and to stop the warlike catastrophe against drugs. 

For this reason, to almost all of them, thank you for your courage.

This article has been written and originally published in our partner Cannabis Magazine  Somos Cannabis For more details see our article about Content Collaborationhere.