Ángel Ortiz Rodríguez, a resident of Granada, Spain, relies on an electronic breathing machine due to a heart attack he had a few years ago. However, frequent power outages in his neighborhood make it necessary for his wife, Rosa Martin Piñedo, to keep an oxygen cylinder as backup. These blackouts have worsened in recent years and are now being attributed to illegal marijuana farms by Endesa, Spain’s largest electric company. According to Endesa, a third of the stolen electricity in Granada’s northern district last year was connected to these illegal operations.
The police believe that the increase in marijuana farms is partly due to ambiguous drug laws in Spain. While small-scale private cultivation and use of marijuana is allowed, running large plantations and engaging in drug trafficking carries relatively short sentences. Residents admit to the presence of illegal pot farms but argue that the focus on marijuana is overshadowing their larger concerns about the unstable power grid.
Similar situations of failing electrical grids and illegal marijuana production have been reported in other poor districts across Spain. In 2020, a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Madrid experienced a two-month blackout, leading United Nations human rights experts to call on the Spanish government to address the issue and criticized their tendency to blame the blackouts on illegal marijuana farms.
Granada’s northern district is the city’s poorest area, with half of its population living on less than $8,000 per year. Power cuts occur almost 100 times a month on average, and they can last for over 10 hours. These outages have serious consequences for residents, especially those with medical conditions who rely on powered medical devices. Studies show that blackouts have led to increased mortality rates and health complications.
While the presence of indoor marijuana farms in the area is evident from the distinctive smell of cannabis and the sound of air-conditioning units running constantly, residents argue that the blame should not solely fall on the pot farms. They believe that structural problems with the electrical infrastructure are a significant contributing factor. Endesa claims to have invested millions of euros in infrastructure improvements over the past three years, but residents are skeptical and await the outcome of a court case against the company.
Some fear that the focus on marijuana may prevent the underlying issues from being addressed. During the court case, a doctor presenting evidence on the health effects of blackouts was surprised when the judges asked about marijuana instead. Regardless of the outcome, it is clear that the priority should be the well-being of the people rather than the blame placed on illegal marijuana farms.
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