Estonia, Legislation, Markets and Companies

A 31-year-old man was arrested due to the case regarding illegal growing of marijuana. Harju County Court placed the man under detention upon the request of the Prosecutor's Office, writes LETA.

"If and how much of the drug has already reached the market will be clarified by the investigation. It's quite clear that such a large quantity of marijuana plants are not grown for personal consumption,” said North Prefecture anti-narcotics chief, Kaido Kõplas, adding that removing the plants “may spare many a young person's health.”

The North Prefecture's anti-narcotics unit has arrested 151 suspects for illicit drug activities this year.

As reported, 80% of cannabis consumed in Estonia has been grown in Estonia, while in Latvia, for example, the share is just a tenth.

According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) data, Estonia and Latvia are generally in the same category in the EU – among states where mostly (85-90%) cannabis leaves (marijuana) is consumed, and not cannabis resin (hashish).

The source of the drug is radically different in Estonia and Latvia. Although Latvians also grow cannabis, they prefer to use foreign cannabis (mainly from Morocco) and sell 80-90% of their own production abroad, mainly Sweden and Estonia, the report claims.

An interesting fact is that while in most EU states, cannabis is mainly grown indoors, in Estonia it is generally grown outdoors.