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TheHunter Valley cannabis outbreak was an infestation ofCannabis sativa plants in theHunter Valley inNew South Wales, Australia, in the 1960s. At its peak, the infestation covered about 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi). It took nine years for theGovernment of New South Wales to eradicate it.[1]
TheHunter Valley is a fertileagricultural region situated on the east coast of Australia, approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) north ofSydney. Due to a mild climate, an abundance of water, andalluvial soils, the area is well known for itswine production,lumber,dairy farming, andpoultry industries. TheHunter River flows throughSingleton and empties into thePacific Ocean at the city ofNewcastle.
Cannabis sativa seeds first arrived in Australia in 1788 on theFirst Fleet at the request ofSir Joseph Banks.[2] The blueprint for the New South Wales colony, approved by theBritish Cabinet in 1786, envisaged Australia as a commercial colony producinghemp.[2]
In 1892, theDepartment of Agriculture distributedCannabis sativa seeds to hundreds of farmers in New South Wales as an experiment in the cultivation of hemp due to the high prices of binding-twine at the time.[3] From 1840 to the early 1900s, Australians used cannabis as a medicinal herb and Cigares de Joy (cannabis cigarettes) were sold over the counter.[4]
TheSingle Convention on Narcotic Drugs, an international treaty adopted in 1961, broadened the scope of controlled substances to includeCannabis sativa. Due to rising drug use among young people and within thecounterculture movement, government efforts to enforce prohibition of cannabis use were strengthened in the 1960s.[citation needed]
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In the spring and summer of 1963, attention was called to the presence of large amounts ofCannabis sativa growing wild on river banks, along creeks, and near irrigation channels in the Hunter Valley. The New South Wales Department of Agriculture and Fisheries dispatched field officers to the affected areas to identify the plants.[citation needed]
The discovery created a sensation in the press. One Sydney newspaper reported the find under the headline "Love Drug found in the Hunter Valley".[citation needed] The discovery also aroused much interest in the fledglingbohemian community. In April and May of each year of the infestation, small but determined bands of marijuana devotees evaded detection by police and landowners as they harvested the flowering tops of the plants. These individuals became known as "weed raiders". Much of the resulting cannabis flower was then smuggled to Sydney, where it was dried, cured, and illegally distributed.
Marijuana smoking in Australia exploded over the next several years.[5] Local dairy farmers demanded something be done to protect their valuable pasture lands from trespassers. The local chief of theNew South Wales Police Force in the Hunter Valley publicly declared that the infestation would be eradicated "within six to eight weeks". The eradication effort ended up taking nine years.
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