Cannabis valley in Kazakhstan to be destroyed with herbicides

Previous attempts of the Ministry to organize industrial processing of hemp in Chui Valley did not bear fruit
Tengrinews (Kazakhstan)
Thursday, October 9, 2014

kazakhstan chui valleyThe “legendary” Chui Valley may be destroyed with herbicides. Legendary in quotes – because the Valley is known primarily for cannabis that grow there. Located in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl Oblast and Kyrgyzstan’s Chui Province, about 140,000 hectares of the total area of the valley see intensive growth of cannabis. It is not known precisely when cannabis started growing in the valley. Some claim that the seeds were brought here in the 17th century by Turkestan Governor-General Kolpakovsky with the good intentions to prevent sand encroachment. Others believe cannabis has grown here since ancient times and the people found it useful in everyday life because of high durability of the material. Now the valley is a heaven for drug dealers. Up to 5 tons of cannabis a year can be produced.