Majority of Madrid’s black market marijuana hash contaminated by feces, study finds

Tourists looking to take in Spain’s cannabis culture should probably skip on buying hashish from Madrid’s illegal street dealers.

According to a study published in the journal Forensic Science International, “The majority of the hash sold in the Madrid region is not apt for human consumption, mainly due to microbiological criteria, and it represents a danger for health,” researchers conclude. 

Pérez Moreno, a pharmacist from the veterinary faculty of Madrid’s Complutense University, and his research team collected 90 different samples of cannabis resin sourced from dealers on the street in different neighborhoods throughout Madrid. They found that 75 percent of the analyzed samples contained large quantities of the E.coli bacteria, which is an indication of fecal contamination.

Researchers blame certain practices involved in drug trafficking, namely the act of smuggling product by swallowing pellets of hash – referred to as “bellotas,” or acorns – in plastic film. “When they get to Spain, they take a laxative and expel the bellotas,” Moreno explains. “And then they’re put on sale.”

Forty percent of the…