Every second day, a narcotics raid in Goa, 'ganja' most seized drug

On every second day that the sun sets on the horizon of Goas popular beaches the state police logs one narcotics seizureAccording to statistics tabled during the recently concluded winter session of the state legislative assembly from 20182020 589 drugrelated cases were booked in Goa spread over 1095 days And the narcotic flavour of the season predictably turns out to be ganja or grass or marijuana one of the cheapest banned drugs which has accounted for 7130 per cent of the total drug bustsIn 2018 ganja was seized in 169 police raids conducted by multiple agencies including local police stations Crime Branch and the AntiNarcotics cell of the Goa Police In the same year 51 instances of hashish charas seizure and 20 and 13 seizures of LSD and MDMA both synthetic drugs seizures were respectively reportedThe pattern also holds true in 2019 when ganja seizures topped the drug seizure list with 151 cases while hashish LSD and MDMA followed suit at 35 11 and 21 respectivelyIn 2020 the state witnessed 100 cases related to ganja seizures followed by hashish 31 LSD 17 and MDMA 21The cases related to ganja are more because it is available easily As a police force we have been active in busting cases related to all banned drugs and narcotics substances police inspector incharge of the Calangute police station Nolasco Raposo told IANSGanjas easy availability and its extremely low price point as well as the fact that it often tends to be the entry level drug for teenagers takes it to the top of the police seizure listWhat a Breezer is to the world of alcohol ganja is to youngsters when it comes to drugs Its often the first step Its cheap and there is peer pressure to smoke that first joint to appear cool with friends a police officer attached to the state antinarcotics cell saidA large chunk of the cases booked related to seizures of ganja under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances act are linked to migrant workers from Odisha and West Bengal who travel to Goa on seasonal workThey carry a kilo or two along with them from these source states They look at it as some additional money to make when they migrate to Goa on work where there is demand for ganja the official saidAnother related trend which makes the availability of ganja easy in Goa is the phenomenon of indoor and outdoor plantations several of which have been busted in the state over the last three years11 such plantations have been busted by police agencies in the North Goa coastal belt over the last three years which resulted in the arrest of nearly 15 persons including seven foreigners mostly Russians who seem to prefer to grow ganja plants in controlled indoor environmentsAccording to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant there is readiness in the state government as well as the police machinery to crack down on the drug menace especially related to studentsProgrammes for school and college students are organised to sensitise students regarding illeffects of drug abuse Letters have also been sent to the heads of educational institutions to furnish information to the police in case any drugrelated activities are noticed around their respective institutions Sawant saidIntelligence is also being collected and informants are deployed to find out persons indulging in drug activities the Chief Minister also saidAs far as ganja is concerned Sawant has already been under much fire from the opposition after it came to light that his government was considering a proposal by the Jammubased Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine to allow legal farming of cannabis for medicinal purposesWhile the proposal was cleared by the Law department and placed before the cabinet for approval Sawant has maintained that his cabinet would not clear the proposalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever