Abstract
The proposal of this study is to analyse the main reasons for the expansion of cannabis cultivation in the Vale do São Francisco region, Northeast of Brazil. The aim is to explore the differences of cultivation in Brazil in relation of other countries with extensive outdoor plantations, considering the key difference that production supplies internal demand. Based on original qualitative research, this study shows that the growth of agricultural activity resulted in the construction of an illegal network that included small-scale farmers and actors who were already involved in other criminal activities, and increased violence in the region