News:2016-07-26/Report/ganja-gets-three-cheers-as-bars-go-dry-in-kerala

26 July 2016

Report

India·Kerala·

Ganja gets three cheers as bars go dry in Kerala

Onmanorama investigated the surge in cannabis demand in Kerala following the closure of 418 bars from 2014 under state prohibition policy. NDPS Act cases rose from 332 (2011–12) to 4,015 (2015–16); ganja seizures from 813.7 kg to 953 kg; plants destroyed from 15 to 823. Liquor consumption fell 22% but cannabis filled the gap. Idukki retained its role as a smuggling hub despite the collapse of local cultivation — hashish oil worth Rs. 22 crore was seized in six months. Supply was outsourced to Cumbum and Salem in Tamil Nadu for smaller orders and Andhra Pradesh for bulk, at Rs. 4,500/kg. The Vadakkeppatti area in Cumbum alone harboured over 1,000 peddlers. The report detailed smuggling methods including cannabis pressed into blocks, wrapped in plastic, and hidden in tamarind sacks shipped by courier train from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. A list of 11 dealers regularly smuggling over 1,000 kg each to Kerala was referenced. The report also documented cannabis use spreading into educational institutions, with one college spending Rs. 1.5 lakh on a sniffer dog to combat campus dealing.

Source: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/the-ganja-trail-kerala-sreekakulam-bar-investigation.html

2016-07-26 Report Ganja gets three cheers as bars go dry in Kerala Onmanorama investigated the surge in cannabis demand in Kerala following the closure of 418 bars from 2014 under state prohibition policy. NDPS Act cases rose from 332 (2011–12) to 4,015 (2015–16); ganja seizures from 813.7 kg to 953 kg; plants destroyed from 15 to 823. Liquor consumption fell 22% but cannabis filled the gap. Idukki retained its role as a smuggling hub despite the collapse of local cultivation — hashish oil worth Rs. 22 crore was seized in six months. Supply was outsourced to Cumbum and Salem in Tamil Nadu for smaller orders and Andhra Pradesh for bulk, at Rs. 4,500/kg. The Vadakkeppatti area in Cumbum alone harboured over 1,000 peddlers. The report detailed smuggling methods including cannabis pressed into blocks, wrapped in plastic, and hidden in tamarind sacks shipped by courier train from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. A list of 11 dealers regularly smuggling over 1,000 kg each to Kerala was referenced. The report also documented cannabis use spreading into educational institutions, with one college spending Rs. 1.5 lakh on a sniffer dog to combat campus dealing. https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/the-ganja-trail-kerala-sreekakulam-bar-investigation.html India