Farmers and activists are fighting to improve the weed’s quality and reputation.
AGÜERITO, Paraguay — Juan hacked a marijuana plant with a machete, carried it to a black tarp, and began pulling off the flowers as fast as he could. The plants had been sprayed with agrochemicals repeatedly over the month prior to kill insects that infest his family’s fields. Then he left the buds drying in the sun between intermittent rain showers, before they’d be bundled up, and sold for next to nothing.
These are the first steps toward harvesting and preparing some of the worst weed in the world.
Juan and his family, who asked that their real names not be used, cultivate six hectares of clandestine marijuana plants in rural Paraguay—the landlocked nation that is believed to be the third- or fourth-largest cannabis-producing nation on Earth and the top producer in the Southern Hemisphere.
JUAN'S FAMILY CULTIVATES SIX HECTARES OF MARIJUANA IN RURAL PARAGUAY THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE TURNED INTO PRESSED BRICK WEED. PHOTO: NATHANIEL JANOWITZ FOR VICE WORLD NEWS
The so-called “Paraguayo” or “Paraguaya” brick weed is sold around South America at dirt-cheap prices and is widely considered to be some of the lowest-quality cannabis available. Beyond the haphazard production technique of compacting the brick to make it easier to smuggle, the marijuana becomes adulterated in several ways before it reaches consumers outside of Paraguay.
Cannabis experts, local producers, and law enforcement gave myriad additional reasons why the pressed marijuana is so unhealthy. The plants are pressed using rudimentary machines made of metal or wood that are usually dirty. The plant itself is often wet, or mixed with marmalade or Coca-Cola soda knockoffs, to help it stick together and compact. This causes bacteria and fungi to fester inside of the brick. The gangs who press the weed also regularly leave the seeds inside, which, after being compressed, release a urine-ish smell into the marijuana.
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April 20, 2022, 5:00am
Photo Credit:
- PHOTO: NATHANIEL JANOWITZ FOR VICE WORLD NEWS
Source : Vice World News
Link to original : We Found the World's Worst Weed: ‘Paraguayo’
