Villagers banned from renting land to grow marijuana

A Spanish village has voted to lease land to grow marijuana to raise cash amid the economic crisis.

But a government official said this would be illegal and prosecutors would intervene as soon as the first pot seed was planted. Councillors in Rasquera village, population 900, in north- east Catalonia, voted four to three to back the plan.

The plan is that private citizens lease or lend land to the town hall, which would then create a company to manage the land and lease it to an association of marijuana-smokers in Barcelona.

Under Spanish law, consumption in private of cannabis in small amounts is allowed. But growing it for sale is illegal.