Cannabis cultivation spreads to Hyderabad residential areas

Cannabis cultivation, once limited to border and agency areas, is now surfacing inside Hyderabad homes. Police and excise officials have seized thousands of plants, warning that high market prices are driving residents and small-time peddlers to grow cannabis locally.

Hyderabad: Cannabis (marijuana) cultivation, which was once largely restricted to the Andhra Pradesh–Odisha border and agency areas in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, is now surfacing within the city limits, alarming law enforcement and excise authorities.

With intensified checks on narcotics trafficking and consumption, offenders are adopting covert methods by growing cannabis in residential spaces such as backyards, balconies, rooftops and apartment terraces. Over the past several months, law and order police and excise department teams have detected multiple such cases during inspections and raids.

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According to excise department authorities, more than 21,000 cannabis plants have been seized across Telangana in the last three years. This year alone, up to November, cultivation was found at nearly 90 locations during surprise raids in the capital region.

Officials attribute the trend partly to high market prices in the city. While one kg of marijuana costs around Rs 5,000 in border regions, it can fetch nearly ten times more in Hyderabad, prompting consumers and small-time drug peddlers to grow the plant themselves.

Meanwhile, migrant workers from Odisha and other states, along with local youth addicted to narcotics, are increasingly involved. They procure cannabis seeds from their native places and grow them here. Recent raids by Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda police revealed cannabis plants grown in specially arranged setups inside rented houses, often in secluded residential colonies.

Growers use terraces, backyards and even indoor spaces with artificial lighting sourced online. Police said identifying cannabis plants amid regular garden vegetation poses a challenge.

In a recent case in Malakpet, two men from Bihar were caught cultivating cannabis on a building terrace at Mahabub Mansion Market, highlighting the menace. Investigations revealed that seeds are sourced from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Karnataka, while cultivation techniques are easily learned through online videos and manuals.

Officials warned that even a single mature cannabis plant can yield three kg to five kg of marijuana, making home cultivation a serious threat.

Under Section 20 of the NDPS Act, 1985, growing marijuana is a punishable offence, carrying up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Police have intensified surveillance and urged citizens to report suspicious cultivation in residential areas to curb the emerging trend.