Police began burning 20 tons of marijuana and cocaine in a steel furnace this week in the biggest ever incineration of drugs seized in Sao Paulo.

"About 95 percent is marijuana. This was the year for marijuana," said Antonio Carlos Silveira, a spokesman for Denarc, the police's narcotics investigation division. Police have seized a record 25 tons of marijuana in Sao Paulo state this year, five times more than in 2002, he said. Which raises the question of what happened to the other 5 tons of marijuana but perhaps we shouldn't go there.

In a related item the near by suburb of Osasco has reported a dramatic reduction in the reports of violent crime over the last two days. Police issued a statement saying that it had nothing to do with the wind blowing in that direction and was just a happy coincidence. The Green Man suspects there was also a coincidental increase in trade at the take-away pizza shops.