We can takle this little discussion a touch further as Portuguese 15th century engagement in South America was partly founded on this myth and engendered genocide and cruelty on par with the Belgians in the Congo a few centuries later.
Let’s hope that Portugal isn’t the El Dorado of Cannabis
Fortune
“We should be the new El Dorado of medical cannabis production,” said agronomist Jose Martins as dozens of workers harvested marijuana in bright sunshine at a farm in southeastern Portugal.
The country is fast becoming a European hub for medical cannabis, with its warm temperate subtropical climate — often compared to California’s — making it an ideal place to grow the plant.
“No other country in Europe has better environmental conditions,” Martins told AFP at the plantation, which is surrounded by razor wire and infrared cameras.
Set in hills near Serpa dotted with olive trees and cork oaks, the 5.4-hectare (13.3-acre) farm owned by the Portuguese pharmaceutical company FAI Therapeutic produces around 30 tonnes of cannabis flowers a year.
They set up two years ago after a flood of foreign cannabis producers were drawn to Portugal because of its favourable climate and legislation.
