An open ground in Andhra Pradesh was burning in flames while people watched with increasing curiosity. The incident took place in Kodur village where the Andhra Pradesh police was prepping to burn 2 lakh kilos of ganja.
To burn all ganja, the police erected massive pyres in the ground in Kodur, which is located in the Anakapalle mandal, Vishakhapatnam. While the police was busy burning ganja, netizens on the internet went crazy thinking if anyone ‘got high’.
As per the reporters who covered the event, there was no intoxicating effect due to the burning ganja. While many people agreed to feeling mild headaches due to the fire, none experienced the intoxication effect that is otherwise associated with ganja burning.
The whole exercise was conducted as part of the ‘Operation Parivarthana’, which is an initiative to eradicate the issue of drugs in the state. In order to reduce the impact of ganja, the police used sugar and camphor. It was primarily due to this that people didn’t feel the negative impact of burning ganja.
As shared by the police, the value of ganja burnt was nearly Rs 500 crore. Destruction of such large quantities of drugs was a first in the country, the police added.
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Kodur was finalised as the ideal location to burn ganja as it isn’t surrounded by residents in a 4-km radius. All the other residents staying close to the ground were asked to remain indoors as a precautionary measure.
The operation, launched on November 1, 2021, has so far led the police to seize 47,986.934 kgs of ganja and 46.41 litres of hashish oil along with 314 vehicles. About 577 cases filed, and 1500 persons have been arrested.
According to the police, the authorities have destroyed 7,552 acres of ganja as part of the initiative, in which 400 acres of crops were destroyed by farmers themselves.
In order to stop the cultivation of already banned marijuana, the police is conducting public awareness campaigns. Over 1,963 awareness campaigns have ben run so far.
