KOCHI: Though Kerala shed its image of mass illegal cultivation of ganja (marijuana) long back, with the highly potent ‘Idukki Gold’ on the verge of extinction, several people in the state continue to grow ganja plants in isolated places or their backyards on a minor scale.
During lockdown, excise officials arrested three persons in Fort Kochi area for growing ganja plants, which were meant for consumption and commercial purposes, on their premises.
According to the excise department data, 687 ganja plants had been seized in Kerala during the January-November period last year.
“Now, ganja users have to depend on Andhra Pradesh and Odisha for their supply. But during lockdown, we noticed several persons growing ganja on their premises. Growing one or two plants in pots or using isolated places for cultivating ganja were the methods employed. In Kochi, we even came across ganja plants grown at a cemetery,” an officer said.
‘Hideouts’ used by ganja users are also fertile ground for ganja plants. As they roll the stuff, the ganja seeds left behind germinate at times.