Massive rise in cannabis plant cultivation in Ireland
New data shows that with the end of the Celtic Tiger in Ireland, the demand and production of cannabis has been booming.
The Irish Independent reports that in 2004 during the Celtic Tiger, only 36 people were prosecuted for growing cannabis. That figure sharply increased last year when it jumped up to 582 prosecutions. Most of the prosecutions were for small-scale productions, but there were several dozen of industrial-sized, foreign-run operations as well.