Spanish Economy So Bad, One Town Wants to Grow Pot

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Dino Grandoni 1,438 Views Mar 1, 2012

Though it's no Greece, fellow EU member Spain also finds itself in dire economic straits, inspiring one Spanish village to propose growing marijuana for some extra cash. The Catalonian village of Rasquera's town council voted Wednesday night to approve a plan to develop this particular cash crop, reports the Associated Press. A group called the "Asociación Barcelonesa Cannábica de Autoconsumo" approached the town last year to invest in weed-farming business off of land leased from the town government. And though ASBDA, which advocates "recreational or therapeutic" use of marijuana, may be trying to engender some some press with the deal, the fact that the town agreed to it for 550,000 euros annually, plus 36,000 euros up front, speaks to the bad situation in a town that's 1.3 million euros in debt.

If the plan moves forward, 40 jobs would be created, which isn't too bad in a town of 900 in an country with over 23 percent unemployment. But the Spanish government, in a major buzz kill, has said it isn't going to let the town grow since selling marijuana is still technically illegal in Spain.

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