Lazarat

Lazarat (definite Albanian form: Lazarati) is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. As part of the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the municipality Gjirokastër. The population at the 2011 census was 2,801. The municipality consists of the villages Lazarat and Kordhocë.

Lazarat had become known for the cannabis cultivation. However, in June 2014, the Albanian government cracked down and destroyed the local production and transit of the drug.

Geography

Lazarat is a village just outside Gjirokastër, situated on mountain slope of Mali i Gjerë. It is one of the largest villages in Epirus.

History

The village is believed to have been founded in the 16th century.

Since the Albanian Government's attempts to stop the illegal cultivation of cannabis, there have been a growing number of activists from around the region demanding a special status for the small commune. The activists demand the right to legalize production and selling of cannabis inside municipality borders. The Albanian government has rejected the demand.