Aug 17 (rocketnews24.com) - The northernmost island prefecture of Hokkaido is awash with wild cannabis plants. A relic from the once widespread hemp industry that was nearly wiped out following World War II, these plants are currently forbidden to touch unless by an authorized removal team.
On 7 July one such team consisting of municipal and prefectural workers gathered to tackle two growths of marijuana behind an abandoned house and on the edge of a wheat field. As they reached the first site, audible sighs could be heard from the group as they stared at the defiant plants, tall as the men themselves, all of which should have been eradicated last year.
Under the blazing summer sun, the men proceed in a dense group to ensure that every square inch was checked – perhaps also to keep sticky fingers at bay. Their sweat-soaked hands pulled out plant after plant by their roots and placed them on a flatbed truck.
By the end of the day – only a single day – they had removed 8,081 stalks of cannabis at a weight of 280 kilograms (617 pounds). However, no one went home with a feeling of satisfaction, because they all knew they accomplished nothing lasting. It would all be back next year.
In fact, their day's haul of hemp plants was already ten times that of the same day last year.
