大麻 - Marijuana, Japanese Sacred Herb

MANALI: Cultivation of cannabis and poppy could be on the decline in government records in Kullu, but in reality is quite different, with even more villagers indulging in illegal farming, sources said. Report that disturbs the most is that hundreds of school children are also working in illegal fields and helping their parents in growing the narcotics. 

The Kullu police have registered over 25 cases of poppy cultivation this year. Now, its cannabis cultivation season and farmers are busy in their far-flung fields. Most of them in Parbati valley are cultivating cannabis on contract basis with Nepali people. Escaping the eyes of police, growers are moving deep inside the jungles. As the area under cannabis cultivation changes and increases every year, the satellite images by Hyderabad-based Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN) too seems to be failing to detect the fields inside jungles. 

A resident in Parbati valley, Beli Ram, said people from over a dozen villages are engaged in cannabis cultivation these days and young boys, including students, help their parents in the fields. "If children won't help parents, then how would they earn their living? They work only during their holidays," he said. He added that dry weather conditions in lower areas is hampering cultivation but forest land inside jungles has enough moisture and people are busy at their work.  

A source said, hybrid quality of seeds is being used to yield good crop. Cultivators were not growing cannabis only to get resins from its leaves but some plants are being left to extract seeds out of them.

Villagers are camping in jungles and they have deployed persons with binoculars to keep an eye on the police. Even the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials admit that cannabis cultivation is going on in full swing these days. "What would we eat if we give up cultivating cannabis," says Budh Ram, a resident of Malana, who has planned to cultivate it on at least 10 bighas of land.