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(Source: Deccan Herald)
06 Jul 2008
India
New Delhi, PTI: A hybrid variety of cannabis, which was found to be used in countries like Mexico, has increasingly become popular among the Indians who grow it illegally as it increases the intoxication level and also double their production and profit margin.
According to country's anti-narcotics agencies, the hybrid variety of cannabis is being grown in India too, a trend which is "alarming".
"The hybrid variety is a new one which increases the tetrahy-dro-cannabinols ( THCs ) amount thereby increasing the intoxication level. It has been used in some major cannabis cultivating countries. Here too, the hybrid variety is being grown, though not on a large scale basis," a senior Narcotics Control Bureau official said.
According to sources, while a normal cannabis plant take six months to mature, the hybrid variety takes only three months to grow fully.
"In normal circumstances, one can only have two crops in a year but with the hybrid variety, one can have up to four good crops a year. Not only is the quality better, it also needs bare minimum care to grow," another anti-narcotics official pointed out adding the hybrid variety yields more and hence the trade profit increases.
Sources point out that there are high chances that even op*um and c*ca can now have hybrid varieties.
In India, a very small quantity of cannabis is allowed to cultivate for medicinal use while rest are illegally grown in states like Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and in the Northeast.
Incidentally, the trend of cultivating hybrid cannabis comes at a time when intelligence reports on drug trafficking have pointed out that the drug syndicates are trying to spread their operations in the country by joining hands with poachers.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghanistan has become a major producer of cannabis resin in 2006, perhaps exceeding Morocco, the largest cultivator till now.
"Afghanistan was more known for op*um cultivation. The sudden increase in cannabis production is very intriguing. We cannot rule out the use of hybrid cannabis," a senior official of UNODC said.
The agency's 2008 World Drug Report states that the THC levels of cannabis in the US market almost doubled between 1999 and 2006, from 4.6 per cent to 8.8 per cent. Officials say that the increasing THC level in drugs is alarming.
Anti narcotics officials said 'Manila Cream', a variety of marijuana ( ganja ) considered as finest by marijuana users have high THC content.
"It is quite possible that Manila Cream might be a variant of hybrid marijuana but we can't confirm," an official said.
The UNODC's latest report shows that India is the biggest op*ate market in Asia with nearly 3 million users and has emerged as a major transit point for drug trafficking.
Officials say that cannabis production is less in the country and the main supply comes in from Nepal.
Experts point out that not only the hybrid variety of the contraband more lethal but it is also difficult to destroy.
They say that since cannabis fields are usually destroyed by burning them or by dousing them with herbicide, in case of hybrid variety, the plants' roots survive if they are doused with herbicide and the only way is to pull them out from the roots.
NORML.ORG India: Drug Mafia in India Switches to High Profit Hybrid
06 Jul 2008
India
New Delhi, PTI: A hybrid variety of cannabis, which was found to be used in countries like Mexico, has increasingly become popular among the Indians who grow it illegally as it increases the intoxication level and also double their production and profit margin.
According to country's anti-narcotics agencies, the hybrid variety of cannabis is being grown in India too, a trend which is "alarming".
"The hybrid variety is a new one which increases the tetrahy-dro-cannabinols ( THCs ) amount thereby increasing the intoxication level. It has been used in some major cannabis cultivating countries. Here too, the hybrid variety is being grown, though not on a large scale basis," a senior Narcotics Control Bureau official said.
According to sources, while a normal cannabis plant take six months to mature, the hybrid variety takes only three months to grow fully.
"In normal circumstances, one can only have two crops in a year but with the hybrid variety, one can have up to four good crops a year. Not only is the quality better, it also needs bare minimum care to grow," another anti-narcotics official pointed out adding the hybrid variety yields more and hence the trade profit increases.
Sources point out that there are high chances that even op*um and c*ca can now have hybrid varieties.
In India, a very small quantity of cannabis is allowed to cultivate for medicinal use while rest are illegally grown in states like Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and in the Northeast.
Incidentally, the trend of cultivating hybrid cannabis comes at a time when intelligence reports on drug trafficking have pointed out that the drug syndicates are trying to spread their operations in the country by joining hands with poachers.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghanistan has become a major producer of cannabis resin in 2006, perhaps exceeding Morocco, the largest cultivator till now.
"Afghanistan was more known for op*um cultivation. The sudden increase in cannabis production is very intriguing. We cannot rule out the use of hybrid cannabis," a senior official of UNODC said.
The agency's 2008 World Drug Report states that the THC levels of cannabis in the US market almost doubled between 1999 and 2006, from 4.6 per cent to 8.8 per cent. Officials say that the increasing THC level in drugs is alarming.
Anti narcotics officials said 'Manila Cream', a variety of marijuana ( ganja ) considered as finest by marijuana users have high THC content.
"It is quite possible that Manila Cream might be a variant of hybrid marijuana but we can't confirm," an official said.
The UNODC's latest report shows that India is the biggest op*ate market in Asia with nearly 3 million users and has emerged as a major transit point for drug trafficking.
Officials say that cannabis production is less in the country and the main supply comes in from Nepal.
Experts point out that not only the hybrid variety of the contraband more lethal but it is also difficult to destroy.
They say that since cannabis fields are usually destroyed by burning them or by dousing them with herbicide, in case of hybrid variety, the plants' roots survive if they are doused with herbicide and the only way is to pull them out from the roots.
NORML.ORG India: Drug Mafia in India Switches to High Profit Hybrid
