Cambodia - Revision history

Eloise Zomia at 07:09, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T07:09:42Z

Eloise Zomia at 07:00, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T07:00:19Z

Eloise Zomia at 06:13, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T06:13:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:13, 29 March 2026
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	[[Cannabis cultivation]] was formally prohibited by royal edict in 1955, but the ban was so thoroughly ignored that open retail sale continued for four decades.<ref name="martin1975" /> Effective enforcement came only in December 1996, when the Cambodian parliament passed a US-drafted drug law under heavy American diplomatic pressure driven by concerns over heroin trafficking, not cannabis.<ref name="clinton">William J. Clinton. "Letter to Congressional Leaders on Major Narcotics Producing and Transit Countries." White House Office of the Press Secretary, 22 February 1996. [https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/02/1996-02-22-major-illicit-drug-producing-and-transit-countries.html]</ref><ref name="ppp1996law">"Drug law passed as critics cry foul." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 20 December 1996. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/drug-law-passed-critics-cry-foul]</ref> The law classified cannabis in the most restrictive category alongside heroin, criminalising a crop that had been part of [[Cannabis_in_Khmer_Cuisine\|Khmer cuisine]] and [[Cannabis in Khmer Medicine\|medicine]] for generations.{{Citation needed}}		[[Cannabis cultivation]] was formally prohibited by royal edict in 1955, but the ban was so thoroughly ignored that open retail sale continued for four decades.<ref name="martin1975" /> Effective enforcement came only in December 1996, when the Cambodian parliament passed a US-drafted drug law under heavy American diplomatic pressure driven by concerns over heroin trafficking, not cannabis.<ref name="clinton">William J. Clinton. "Letter to Congressional Leaders on Major Narcotics Producing and Transit Countries." White House Office of the Press Secretary, 22 February 1996. [https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/02/1996-02-22-major-illicit-drug-producing-and-transit-countries.html]</ref><ref name="ppp1996law">"Drug law passed as critics cry foul." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 20 December 1996. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/drug-law-passed-critics-cry-foul]</ref> The law classified cannabis in the most restrictive category alongside heroin, criminalising a crop that had been part of [[Cannabis_in_Khmer_Cuisine\|Khmer cuisine]] and [[Cannabis in Khmer Medicine\|medicine]] for generations.{{Citation needed}}

	Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}		Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo\|Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}

	No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]''.<ref name="vca" /> A 1919 French colonial survey noted that textile hemp introduced by the Hmong thrived only in the northern highlands, while the "hashish variety" reported in southern Laos and Cambodia was attributed to a separate, likely Indian, origin.<ref name="crevost1919">Crévost, Ch. and Lemarié, Ch. ''Catalogue des produits de l'Indochine'', tome II: ''Plantes et produits filamenteux et textiles''. Hanoi: Gouvernement Général de l'Indochine, Direction des Services Économiques, 1919, pp. 117–119, 126.</ref> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia.		No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]''.<ref name="vca" /> A 1919 French colonial survey noted that textile hemp introduced by the Hmong thrived only in the northern highlands, while the "hashish variety" reported in southern Laos and Cambodia was attributed to a separate, likely Indian, origin.<ref name="crevost1919">Crévost, Ch. and Lemarié, Ch. ''Catalogue des produits de l'Indochine'', tome II: ''Plantes et produits filamenteux et textiles''. Hanoi: Gouvernement Général de l'Indochine, Direction des Services Économiques, 1919, pp. 117–119, 126.</ref> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia.

Eloise Zomia at 06:12, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T06:12:46Z

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	\| 2021 \|\| US$35–40/kg \|\| Farmgate \|\| Kirivong \|\| Landrace \|\| PPPost<ref name="phannara2021" />		\| 2021 \|\| US$35–40/kg \|\| Farmgate \|\| Kirivong \|\| Landrace \|\| PPPost<ref name="phannara2021" />
	\|-		\|-
	\| 2026 \|\| US$500–600/kg \|\| Market Wholesale \|\| Kampot \|\| Landrace \|\| Zomia Collective<ref name="dillon2026">Dillon, Éloïse. ~~Field report (forthcoming)~~. Zomia Collective, 2026.</ref>		\| 2026 \|\| US$500–600/kg \|\| Market Wholesale \|\| Kampot \|\| Landrace \|\| Zomia Collective<ref name="dillon2026">Dillon, Éloïse. "Cannabis in Cambodia: From Martin's Fieldwork to the Last Landraces." Zomia Collective, 2026. [https://www.patreon.com/posts/154167697]</ref>
	\|-		\|-
	\| 2026 \|\| US$0.1–1/g \|\| Market Retail \|\| Kampot \|\| Landrace \|\| Zomia Collective<ref name="dillon2026" />		\| 2026 \|\| US$0.1–1/g \|\| Market Retail \|\| Kampot \|\| Landrace \|\| Zomia Collective<ref name="dillon2026" />

Eloise Zomia at 06:09, 29 March 2026

2026-03-29T06:09:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:09, 29 March 2026
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	Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}		Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}

	No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]''.<ref name="vca" /> A 1919 French colonial survey noted that textile hemp introduced by the Hmong thrived only in the northern highlands, while the "hashish variety" reported in southern Laos and Cambodia was attributed to a separate, likely Indian, origin.<ref name="crevost1919" /> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia. ~~{{Citation needed}}~~		No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]''.<ref name="vca" /> A 1919 French colonial survey noted that textile hemp introduced by the Hmong thrived only in the northern highlands, while the "hashish variety" reported in southern Laos and Cambodia was attributed to a separate, likely Indian, origin.<ref name="crevost1919">Crévost, Ch. and Lemarié, Ch. ''Catalogue des produits de l'Indochine'', tome II: ''Plantes et produits filamenteux et textiles''. Hanoi: Gouvernement Général de l'Indochine, Direction des Services Économiques, 1919, pp. 117–119, 126.</ref> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia.

	== Cannabis in Khmer Culture ==		== Cannabis in Khmer Culture ==

Eloise Zomia: /* Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s) */

2026-03-28T17:31:26Z

Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s)

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	=== Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s) ===		=== Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s) ===
	~~''See also: [[Cambodia#Peak Production\|Cambodia: Peak Production]]''~~

	The US State Department's '''2003 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report''' (INCSR) provides the only available production estimate for Cambodia during this period, placing total annual output at '''700–1,000 tons'''.<ref name="incsr2003" /> No reliable figures were available from either the Cambodian government or the UNODC to corroborate or refine this estimate.		The US State Department's '''2003 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report''' (INCSR) provides the only available production estimate for Cambodia during this period, placing total annual output at '''700–1,000 tons'''.<ref name="incsr2003" /> No reliable figures were available from either the Cambodian government or the UNODC to corroborate or refine this estimate.

Eloise Zomia: /* Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s) */

2026-03-28T17:30:45Z

Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s)

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:30, 29 March 2026
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	=== Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s) ===		=== Peak Production (Late 1990s–Early 2000s) ===
			''See also: [[Cambodia#Peak Production\|Cambodia: Peak Production]]''

	The US State Department's '''2003 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report''' (INCSR) provides the only available production estimate for Cambodia during this period, placing total annual output at '''700–1,000 tons'''.<ref name="incsr2003" /> No reliable figures were available from either the Cambodian government or the UNODC to corroborate or refine this estimate.		The US State Department's '''2003 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report''' (INCSR) provides the only available production estimate for Cambodia during this period, placing total annual output at '''700–1,000 tons'''.<ref name="incsr2003" /> No reliable figures were available from either the Cambodian government or the UNODC to corroborate or refine this estimate.

Eloise Zomia: /* The Thai Investment Era (1992–2002) */

2026-03-28T17:30:27Z

The Thai Investment Era (1992–2002)

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	=== The Thai Investment Era (1992–2002) ===		=== The Thai Investment Era (1992–2002) ===
			''Main article: [[Thai investment in Cambodian cannabis]]''

	As Cambodia opened to foreign engagement through the UNTAC period (1992–1993), commercial cannabis cultivation expanded dramatically, fuelled by Thai capital.		As Cambodia opened to foreign engagement through the UNTAC period (1992–1993), commercial cannabis cultivation expanded dramatically, fuelled by Thai capital.

Eloise Zomia: /* Geographic Shift to Kirivong (2000s–present) */

2026-03-28T17:29:46Z

Geographic Shift to Kirivong (2000s–present)

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	=== Geographic Shift to Kirivong (2000s–present) ===		=== Geographic Shift to Kirivong (2000s–present) ===

	''Main article: [[Kirivong ~~Green Triangle~~]]''		''Main article: [[Kirivong]]''

	The '''Bayong Kor mountain range''' spans four communes in Kirivong district — Preah Bat Choan Chum, Prey Ampok, Som, and Kiri Chung Koh — and is described in police reports as "ideal for growing marijuana and smuggling to Vietnam."<ref name="bayongkor">Ry Sochan. "Hunt on for Takeo marijuana growers." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 1 June 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hunt-takeo-marijuana-growers]</ref> Kirivong district police chief Yuk Sarath confirmed in 2017 that "villagers in this commune have grown such plants in their own field for family use, and also for illegal sale to Vietnam and Phnom Penh."<ref name="sarath2017">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Field of Dreams: Marijuana crop destroyed in Takeo." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 5 July 2017. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/field-dreams-marijuana-crop-destroyed-takeo]</ref>		The '''Bayong Kor mountain range''' spans four communes in Kirivong district — Preah Bat Choan Chum, Prey Ampok, Som, and Kiri Chung Koh — and is described in police reports as "ideal for growing marijuana and smuggling to Vietnam."<ref name="bayongkor">Ry Sochan. "Hunt on for Takeo marijuana growers." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 1 June 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hunt-takeo-marijuana-growers]</ref> Kirivong district police chief Yuk Sarath confirmed in 2017 that "villagers in this commune have grown such plants in their own field for family use, and also for illegal sale to Vietnam and Phnom Penh."<ref name="sarath2017">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Field of Dreams: Marijuana crop destroyed in Takeo." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 5 July 2017. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/field-dreams-marijuana-crop-destroyed-takeo]</ref>

Eloise Zomia at 17:29, 28 March 2026

2026-03-28T17:29:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:29, 29 March 2026
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	Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}		Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}

	No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]'',<ref name="vca">"Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment of Koh Kong and Kampot Provinces, Cambodia." [https://www.academia.edu/101412088/Vulnerability_and_Capacity_Assessment_of_Koh_Kong_and_Kampot_Provinces_Cambodia]</~~ref~~> ~~while Martin's observation that~~ French colonial ~~cultivation attempts yielded plants of~~ only ~~0.6 metres suggests Cambodian populations may represent distinct low-growing varieties adapted~~ to ~~local conditions~~.<ref name="~~martin1975~~" /> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia. {{Citation needed}}		No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]''.<ref name="vca" /> A 1919 French colonial survey noted that textile hemp introduced by the Hmong thrived only in the northern highlands, while the "hashish variety" reported in southern Laos and Cambodia was attributed to a separate, likely Indian, origin.<ref name="crevost1919" /> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia. {{Citation needed}}

	== Cannabis in Khmer Culture ==		== Cannabis in Khmer Culture ==
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	=== Morphology ===		=== Morphology ===

	~~Martin's observation that~~ French colonial ~~cultivation~~ attempts in ~~southern~~ Indochina ~~yielded~~ plants of only ~~'''~~0.6 metres~~''' instead~~ of the ~~expected several~~ metres ~~is potentially significant — it suggests Cambodian populations may represent '~~''distinct ~~low~~-~~growing varieties~~''' ~~adapted to local conditions, a morphological characteristic~~ that ~~has never been formally studied~~.<ref name="martin1975" />		French colonial attempts to cultivate '''textile hemp''' in lowland Indochina consistently failed. Seeds sown in October 1907 at Hanoi's Agricultural Museum germinated vigorously but plants never exceeded 0.6 metres, while Meo-grown hemp in the Centre-Annam mountains produced only 0.7 metres of "mediocre fibre."<ref name="crevost1919" /><ref name="martin1975" /> These experiments tested fibre varieties, not the drug-type cannabis that was already growing to 2–4 metres across Cambodia's lowlands. The consistent failure of textile hemp at low altitudes, combined with Crévost and Lemarié's observation that the "hashish variety" in southern Laos and Cambodia "would without any doubt have another origin" from the Meo textile hemp, points to two distinct introduction pathways: highland textile hemp arriving overland from China via the Hmong, and lowland drug-type cannabis arriving through Indian maritime trade via the Sanskrit-derived terminology (''kanhcha'' from ''gañjā'') that Martin documented across the region.<ref name="crevost1919" /><ref name="martin1975" />

	=== Quality Tiers ===		=== Quality Tiers ===

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:13, 29 March 2026
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	[[Cannabis cultivation]] was formally prohibited by royal edict in 1955, but the ban was so thoroughly ignored that open retail sale continued for four decades.<ref name="martin1975" /> Effective enforcement came only in December 1996, when the Cambodian parliament passed a US-drafted drug law under heavy American diplomatic pressure driven by concerns over heroin trafficking, not cannabis.<ref name="clinton">William J. Clinton. "Letter to Congressional Leaders on Major Narcotics Producing and Transit Countries." White House Office of the Press Secretary, 22 February 1996. [https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/02/1996-02-22-major-illicit-drug-producing-and-transit-countries.html]</ref><ref name="ppp1996law">"Drug law passed as critics cry foul." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 20 December 1996. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/drug-law-passed-critics-cry-foul]</ref> The law classified cannabis in the most restrictive category alongside heroin, criminalising a crop that had been part of [[Cannabis_in_Khmer_Cuisine\|Khmer cuisine]] and [[Cannabis in Khmer Medicine\|medicine]] for generations.{{Citation needed}}		[[Cannabis cultivation]] was formally prohibited by royal edict in 1955, but the ban was so thoroughly ignored that open retail sale continued for four decades.<ref name="martin1975" /> Effective enforcement came only in December 1996, when the Cambodian parliament passed a US-drafted drug law under heavy American diplomatic pressure driven by concerns over heroin trafficking, not cannabis.<ref name="clinton">William J. Clinton. "Letter to Congressional Leaders on Major Narcotics Producing and Transit Countries." White House Office of the Press Secretary, 22 February 1996. [https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1996/02/1996-02-22-major-illicit-drug-producing-and-transit-countries.html]</ref><ref name="ppp1996law">"Drug law passed as critics cry foul." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 20 December 1996. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/drug-law-passed-critics-cry-foul]</ref> The law classified cannabis in the most restrictive category alongside heroin, criminalising a crop that had been part of [[Cannabis_in_Khmer_Cuisine\|Khmer cuisine]] and [[Cannabis in Khmer Medicine\|medicine]] for generations.{{Citation needed}}

	Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}		Today, cultivation persists in the mountains of [[Kirivong district]] in [[Takeo\|Takeo province]], where annual [[Eradication campaigns\|eradication campaigns]] destroy tens of thousands of plants yet multi-generational growing continues.<ref name="phannara2021">Khouth Sophak Chakrya. "Officers told to tackle marijuana cultivation." ''Phnom Penh Post'', 6 December 2021. [https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/officers-told-tackle-marijuana-cultivation]</ref> Cambodia was identified in 1997 as the second-largest source of seized cannabis in Europe, behind only Colombia.<ref name="gilboa">Amit Gilboa. "Cannabis Cambodia: Smoker's Paradise." ''Cannabis Culture'', 1 November 1998. [https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/1998/11/01/1403/]</ref> The country's landrace cannabis varieties have never been formally characterised or collected and face ongoing threats from [[eradication]], [[genetic contamination]] and the severing of [[traditional agricultural knowledge]].{{Citation needed}}

	No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]''.<ref name="vca" /> A 1919 French colonial survey noted that textile hemp introduced by the Hmong thrived only in the northern highlands, while the "hashish variety" reported in southern Laos and Cambodia was attributed to a separate, likely Indian, origin.<ref name="crevost1919">Crévost, Ch. and Lemarié, Ch. ''Catalogue des produits de l'Indochine'', tome II: ''Plantes et produits filamenteux et textiles''. Hanoi: Gouvernement Général de l'Indochine, Direction des Services Économiques, 1919, pp. 117–119, 126.</ref> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia.		No systematic [[Cannabis botany\|botanical]] study of Cambodian cannabis has ever been conducted. The sole academic botanical identification classifies the Koh Kong cultivar as ''[[Cannabis indica]]''.<ref name="vca" /> A 1919 French colonial survey noted that textile hemp introduced by the Hmong thrived only in the northern highlands, while the "hashish variety" reported in southern Laos and Cambodia was attributed to a separate, likely Indian, origin.<ref name="crevost1919">Crévost, Ch. and Lemarié, Ch. ''Catalogue des produits de l'Indochine'', tome II: ''Plantes et produits filamenteux et textiles''. Hanoi: Gouvernement Général de l'Indochine, Direction des Services Économiques, 1919, pp. 117–119, 126.</ref> What survives in the Bayong Kor mountains and scattered plots across the country may be among the last uncharacterised landraces in Southeast Asia.