Police burn 75 tons of marijuana in Mexico

Marijuana. AP FILE PHOTO

MEXICO CITY, Mexico—Police have incinerated 75.5 tons of marijuana in western Mexico after discovering several fields of cannabis in the state of Nayarit, authorities said Friday.

Federal police found 11 fields totaling more than 22,000 square meters (5.4 acres) of land near the town of Los Mesquites, the National Security Commission said in a statement.

More than 158,000 plants were pulled out of the ground and incinerated, while 22 samples were kept for the investigation, the commission said, adding that nobody was arrested in the operation.

The seizure comes as Mexico debates whether to changes its marijuana laws after the Supreme Court authorized four individuals to grow and smoke pot for recreational purposes.

READ: Mexico supreme court opens door to recreational pot use

The court ruling has raised hopes among activists who want marijuana to be legalized in a country roiled by a bloody drug war.

READ: Mexican families hoping for medicinal marijuana watch court