Pubdate: Thu, 26 May 2005
Source: Central Leader (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2005 Central Leader
Contact:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3532
Author: Matthew Moore, Indonesia Correspondent, The Age
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Corby (Schapelle Corby)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

WHY AUSTRALIAN MARIJUANA IS A BIG HIT IN BALI

Perhaps the most compelling reason so many Australians believe Schapelle 
Corby is innocent is the "coals to Newcastle" argument: why would anyone 
smuggle marijuana to Bali when everyone knows it's so easy to get there?

While drugs might seem freely available on the streets, the foreigners who 
live in Bali, including those serving time in Kerobokan jail, say that 
buying them is a very risky business because you never know if the seller 
is an undercover police officer or a police informer.

For that reason, westerners in Bali are prepared to pay premium prices for 
marijuana if they can get it from other Westerners, as that's the best way 
to ensure they are not going to be trapped and arrested.

According to four sources in Bali contacted by The Age, including one 
former and one current drug dealer, high-quality Australian marijuana, 
similar in appearance to that found in Schapelle Corby's luggage, has been 
sold on a limited basis in Bali for years, but only to Westerners.

One European man, now serving a jail term for possessing hashish, said he 
knows of several Australians who have been bringing strong hydroponic 
marijuana into Bali.

He said it brings "really good money", getting a price around 50 per cent 
higher than the Nepalese hashish that is more widely available for around 
$A16 a gram on the streets.

He said the marijuana was stronger than hashish, which is produced from the 
same plant and has the same active constituents. "You just can't move, it's 
like (being) brain dead," he said of its effect.

An Australian who says he's lived in Bali for 15 years contacted The Age 
several times to say his children were frequently offered marijuana called 
"Aussie gold". The man, who refused to give his name, said the "hydroponic 
bud" smuggled from Australia sells for $A600 an ounce (about $A21 a gram) 
or as much as $A20,000 a kilogram.

Top quality marijuana in Australia sells for around $8000 a kilogram, 
although more when broken into "deals".

A Balinese drug dealer who has spent time in jail said he had smoked the 
Australian "skunk" many times with friends from Italy, Germany and 
Australia but had never bought or sold any.

He recognised the marijuana as Australian as it was made up of large 
flowers or buds, while the marijuana he sells from Aceh in north Sumatra or 
from Malang in East Java has much smaller buds and a lot of leaf mixed in.

Despite requests from Corby's lawyers, Indonesian police did not test the 
marijuana in her bag to find out where it was grown or its strength, and it 
is not certain it was grown hydroponically, a cultivation method that 
increases its potency. But when the bag of marijuana was displayed in the 
court, it was clear it was made up of buds the size of bananas, which 
emitted a powerful smell whenever the plastic bag was opened.

While marijuana in the 1970s had THC (active ingredient) levels of around 1 
to 2 per cent, today's hydroponic marijuana often has THC levels of 15 per 
cent, higher than a lot of hashish.

The Balinese drug dealer, who would not be named, said that while there was 
a lot of marijuana for sale, "it's hard for foreigners to get access to it" 
because they were fearful of getting caught. "It's safer for foreigners to 
bring their own. It's been happening for quite some time and it's not only 
marijuana."

While he was aware of the importation of marijuana from Australia, he said 
it was more common for foreigners to bring in hashish or other drugs.

While a number of foreigners have been arrested for trafficking or 
possessing hashish, Bali police say the marijuana found in Corby's luggage 
was the first incidence in which they have found the drug being brought 
into Bali from another country.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom