http://www.truth-out.org/mexicos-drug-war-leaves-marijuana-growers-thrive62987Times are good for the dope growers of the western Sierra Madre mountains. The army eradication squads that once hacked at the illicit marijuana fields have been diverted by the drug war that's raging elsewhere in Mexico.
The military's retreat has delighted farmers who are sowing and reaping marijuana. Cannabis cultivation in Mexico soared 35 percent last year and is now higher than at any time in nearly two decades, the State Department says.
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It's always been said that poppy is controlled by organized crime, and marijuana is for the people. Growing it is like growing corn," said the general, who spoke to a journalist on the condition — set by Mexico's Defense Ministry — that he not be named.
Marijuana pays better than corn — but not much. A couple of pounds of marijuana sells locally for barely $15 or $20. It isn't till the weed moves closer to the U.S. border that the price climbs. Once it's smuggled into U.S. states such as Arizona and Texas, the price soars past $500 a pound wholesale.
It used to be that smugglers packed several tons of marijuana into tractor-trailers that were crossing the border. The likelihood of detection has made such methods riskier, however, and smugglers now use tunnels, ultra-light aircraft and other methods to get the dope across, even packing it on the backs of illegal migrants.
http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=11905High in the hills we are harvesting sweet sensimillia
Yeah, the law wants it all 'cause they know that the wild weed can free ya
And freedom for us is a prison for the rulers of might!
That's why the Free Mexican Air Force -- Mescalito riding his white horse --
Yeah, the Free Mexican Air Force is flyin' tonight!
Flyin' so high- yi- yee...
Flyin' tonight!