Hunter Valley cannabis infestation

[1] The Hunter Valley is a fertile agricultural region situated on the east coast of Australia, approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) north of Sydney.

Due to a mild climate, an abundance of water, and alluvial soils, the area is well known for its wine production, lumber, dairy farming, and poultry industries.

[2] In 1892, the Department of Agriculture distributed Cannabis 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.

[citation needed] In the spring and summer of 1963, attention was called to the presence of large amounts of Cannabis sativa growing wild on river banks, along creeks, and near irrigation channels in the Hunter Valley.

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.