Puerto Rico Police Bust Island's Biggest Marijuana Greenhouse
Puerto Rico police have said that they recently raided a former addiction treatment center in the northern town of Carolina. There, they found what they described as the largest hydroponic marijuana greenhouse on the island. RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images

Puerto Rico police have said that they recently raided a former addiction treatment center in the northern town of Carolina. There, they found what they described as the largest hydroponic marijuana greenhouse on the island.

According to the Associated Press, Police Commissioner Antonio López Figueroa said that the town is just east of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. He said that they received a complaint about possible human trafficking activities in the area. This would lead them to a three-story building in Carolina, which held the large marijuana greenhouse.

Marijuana Greenhouse Contained Nearly 2,000 Plants

The Puerto Rican authorities have also stated that they discovered almost 2,000 marijuana plants within the former addiction treatment center. They also stated that the plants were "nearly six feet (two meters) tall." Police also found additional marijuana already packed and ready to be distributed.

Commissioner López Figueroa said that they did not find anyone inside the building as the raid happened. They also did not find any weapons on the site. However, the police commissioner said that the investigation will continue regardless, and will seek out those responsible for what he dubbed as an "industrial-level production of pot."

Medicinal Marijuana Legal in Puerto Rico, but Recreational Marijuana Is Not

In 2015, Puerto Rico's then-governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla signed an executive order legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana. However, according to Medical Press, while its medical use was legalized, its recreational use was not. This means that smoking pot is still banned in the U.S. territory.

Debates on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana are still going on the island. Representatives have proposed allowing individuals to legally possess the substance from 14 grams to 28 grams.

According to The San Juan Daily Star, one of the biggest supporters of legal marijuana use is Puerto Rico Representative Héctor Ferrer Santiago. The Popular Democratic Party representative filed a bill earlier this year to decriminalize and regulate the use of cannabis among adults. It also plans to strengthen mechanisms so that minors in Puerto Rico could not have access to the substance,

The proposed law also contains penalties for dispensaries which fail to comply with regulations stated within the law. There will also be a $500 fine for any person found in possession of the substance that is in excess of the limits set. Adults can only possess up to 28 grams of cannabis, or 8 grams of THC for concentrated products. Edibles should also only have 800mg of THC. While the bill looks to make possession of marijuana legal, it would still regulate its use,

Legalizing cannabis in Puerto Rico could also mean money for the island territory. According to a current study of the commercial impact of marijuana on Puerto Rico, sales of cannabis use for adults could reach up to $522 million in the first year alone.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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