Police have raided what is believed to be Europe’s biggest cannabis farm in Spain.
Officers destroyed 415,000 hemp plants, worth up to €100m (more than £83m) at a plantation in the rural northern region of Navarre.
Around 50 tonnes of the plant were being dried in a warehouse to be processed into cannabidiol (CBD) – a non-psychoactive compound increasingly used to treat health conditions including anxiety and insomnia.
Although CBD sale and consumption is legal across Spain and in many European countries, Spanish law bans the cultivation of cannabis plants for anything other than industrial purposes, such as textiles and seeds, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
Quieter city streets during pandemic led police to illegal farm near Bank of England
Growing hemp for conversion into CBD or other derivatives remains a criminal offence.
The plantation was spread across 11 fields equating to around 67 hectares (166 acres) in size, Spanish law enforcement agency, the Guardia Civil, said in a statement.
Thailand first Asian country to move to decriminalise marijuana – giving people green light to grow it at home
Medicinal cannabis: Campaigners call on Health Secretary after claiming people ‘blocked’ from accessing treatment three years after law change
Nines: Chart-topping rapper jailed for importing 28kg of cannabis into UK from Poland and Spain
Three people have been arrested since the operation began in the middle of last year, after one of the fields was discovered by police.
The plantation owner claimed the farm was a legal operation to produce industrial cannabis.
They were planning to export large quantities of the plant to Italy and Switzerland to be processed into CBD, the Guardia Civil said.
Half of Europeans support cannabis legislation
Recent research found more than half of Europeans support cannabis legalisation.
Around 30% of people questioned expressed an interest in purchasing the substance, according to a report by London-based consultancy, Hanway, and cannabis producer, Curaleaf International.
However, while many supported regulated cannabis shops, most did not back people being allowed to grow the plant at home.
The European cannabis market is expected to surpass €3bn in annual revenue by 2025.
Malta became the first European country to allow limited cultivation and personal use.
Germany is among the nations which have legalised cannabis for limited medicinal purposes.
“There is clear political desire and willingness in Germany to legalize recreational use,” said Curaleaf CEO, Joe Bayern.
“Given it (Germany) is the largest economy in Europe, we think it will lead the way and create a domino effect for the rest of the continent.”
Cannabis remains a Class B drug in the UK where recreational use is illegal.
However specialist doctors were given permission to prescribe patients medicinal cannabis from 2018.
