Kathmandu, June 16

The Narcotics Control Bureau and Armed Police Force destroyed cannabis plants cultivated in a large swathe of land on the outskirts of Kathmandu, recently.

According to NCB, a team of 80 personnel destroyed the cannabis plants illegally grown by the locals in Okhreni, Chilaune, Gaurigaun, Majhgaun, Kune and Khatritole of Gokarneshwor Municipality-1. Officials informed that it took them three days to destroy the cannabis plants cultivated in areas spanning over around 5,800 ropanis land.

On June 8, NCB had destroyed cannabis cultivation in more than 1,700 ropanis land in the same municipality. According to NCB, cannabis cultivation and its natural growth are posing threat to its anti-drug initiative.

The trend of cannabis cultivation is on the rise in Nepal as people are lured into making quick money. Due to lack of proper surveillance mechanism of security agencies in remote areas, cannabis and opium cultivation has become widespread in the country. It is gaining ground on the fringes of Kathmandu valley.

Security personnel have been destroying cannabis plants  to discourage drug traders. It is also aimed at controlling drug abuse among local youths, NCB said. Whenever police get information about cannabis cultivation, they destroy the crops and warn the farmers not to repeat the illicit cultivation in the future.

In some cases, drug traffickers are found to have been involved in cannabis cultivation. They lure farmers to cultivate cannabis for food crops promising better returns. It is learnt that drug traffickers make an advance payment to the farmers to facilitate the cultivation of the illegal plants.