Manikantha (name changed) was a few weeks shy of his 19th birthday when he had his first ‘joint’ (a rolled-up ganja cigarette) with a friend, at one of the city’s beaches.
“It was in 2017 when I was first introduced to ganja. I was just about 19, and had started going to college. I was beginning to discover the joys of entering adulthood. That was when a friend, who works with a rock band in Hyderabad, came to the city and suggested that we smoke up.
“He took me around the city, showing me where I could easily buy ganja from. I was surprised to see how ubiquitous it is. Almost near every major public place, there was someone selling ganja. You just needed to know how to approach them,” Manikantha recalls.
“First, I began smoking ganja using cigarettes. As I realised that it was becoming expensive, I simply started buying rolling paper to roll my ganja joints,” says the young man, who is now 26.
What began as an idle, juvenile pursuit soon morphed into a full-blown addiction. “In a matter of months, I was smoking ganja almost four to five times a day. It was becoming difficult to hide my addiction from my parents and friends. Though I tried quitting many times, the urge to smoke up was too hard to resist. I continued smoking ganja right through my college years.”
“Finally, as I began to see that my addiction was beginning to take a toll on my studies and my personality, I confided in my father. He was very understanding and helped me overcome my addiction. Without his support, I probably would have still been a user,” Manikantha says.
Right under everyone’s noses
A startling revelation is the ubiquitous presence of the narcotic. Right from popular tourist spots such as RK Beach to public places like the Visakhapatnam Railway Station and even schools and colleges, access to ganja is easy.
“The irony is that it is easier for a minor to score as much weed (ganja) as they want than buying a pack of cigarettes or a beer,” says a young boy of 17, who cannot be named. “Many of my classmates have tried weed. Some of them are slowly becoming addicted to it. We try to counsel them not to go down that path. While some give it up, others persist,” he adds.
Parents who get to know of their children’s substance abuse find themselves at their wits’ end. N. Nageswara Rao (name changed on request) a teacher at a government school, recounts the ordeal that his son Santosh went through while battling his ganja addiction.
“We had no idea when it began, but slowly we began to see him become a shell of his former self. He had an active social life, used to go to the gym and was good at studies. Slowly, he became withdrawn, stopped meeting his friends and began skipping college. He even stopped going to the gym, and used to stay up all night. One day, I saw him smoking ganja on the terrace of our house. A couple of days later, in the playground near our home. We then realised that he had become addicted to ganja.”
Nageswara Rao did his best to help his son quit the addiction. He took him on long drives, bonded with him over movies and books, and flew to Manali on a holiday. “I was under the assumption that our efforts were working. So, we never thought of admitting him to a rehab centre. But one day, I found used syringes under his bed. We then decided it was time for some urgent action. But before we could act, things came to a head,” he says.
“I was on my way home from school, at around 6 p.m. I entered the colony when I saw Santosh running naked on the road. I was mortified. I immediately caught hold of him, covered him with my bike’s tarpaulin and rushed him home. Without wasting time, we took him to Hyderabad and admitted him to a rehab centre. The staff helped him fight his addiction and it took him four months to fully recover,” says Nageswara Rao. Santosh, now 22, has completed his engineering degree and is looking for jobs in Bengaluru.
Many students who come to the city from other parts of the country are aware of this, and make it a point to seek out the local ganja variety, only to become addicted to it.
“I came to the city to do my B Tech in 2012. Once a group of us decided to visit Araku and Paderu, where we got hold of some local ganja. That’s when it started. Earlier, I used to smoke cigarettes. But then after someone told me that ganja is less harmful than cigarettes, because it doesn’t have nicotine or tobacco. I then shifted from cigarettes to weed. But what was an occasional habit earlier soon turned into a full-blown addiction,” says Vikas (30).
“Those were tough days. Nobody wanted to hang out with me because of how used to smell. I used to be hungry all the time. My parents came to know, and they admitted me to the Government Hospital for Mental Care (GHMC) in Vizag in 2016. They too had to face a lot of criticism because of me. The withdrawal symptoms include stomach pain, nausea and severe headache. I used to bang my head on the wall and injure myself. It took me weeks to become normal. It relapsed once, but thankfully I was able to bring it under control,” Vikas says. He now works in Bengaluru and is married.
‘Chamba of the East’
The city of Visakhapatnam has gained a dubious reputation of being a ganja hub, second in the country only to Himachal Pradesh. While Chamba in Himachal Pradesh is home to the infamous ‘Malana cream’, Vizag, as the city is commonly known, has its own ‘Sheelavathi’ variety of ganja which is becoming highly sought-after by peddlers and users alike. “Vizag is being referred to as the ‘Chamba of the East’ in other parts of the country, which indicates the extent to which the ganja racket has become entrenched in the city,” says Vikas.
The bordering areas of the Agency in Alluri Sitharama Raju district serve as a gateway for ganja smuggling, while Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam have become transit points for the smugglers to shift the contraband to other States. While police have launched a massive crackdown on the ganja trade, with hundreds of cases being booked and bulk consignments of the contraband being seized every year, large quantities of ganja still find their way to places like Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
A spike in crimes
Local corporators have raised concerns about youths openly consuming ganja in various areas, particularly in One Town, Kancharapalem, Arilova, Thatichetlapalem, and surrounding localities. Home Minister V. Anitha acknowledged that even schoolchildren in her Assembly constituency have easy access to ganja. The recent murder of a 17-year-old from Kancharapalem, at Dumbriguda in ASR district, came as a shock to the police and the government. Investigations revealed that a group of youth had travelled to Dumbriguda to procure ganja. There, a dispute broke out among the friends over its sale and purchase, resulting in the senseless killing.
This month, the Duvvada police arrested two college students who were reportedly found carrying ganja in their bags, intended for a birthday party.
“Around 20 years ago, ganja was relatively unknown among the youth, though it was available in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam. Over time, it has become popular among young people, driven by factors such as depression, peer pressure, influence of movies, and its affordable cost,” says a senior police officer from Visakhapatnam, requesting anonymity.
Strategies to curb consumption
In 2021, under the leadership of former Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha, the city police recognised the severity of ganja addiction among the youth and launched a programme called ‘Marpu’ (change). Through this initiative, the police provided counselling to over a thousand young people addicted to ganja, though many are hesitant to come forward.
“One common reason for ganja use among youth is stress. Some may feel they have failed to meet their parents’ expectations and turn to ganja as a coping mechanism. We have encountered many teenagers, including girls, among the victims,” says Ms. Uma Raj from the Green Valley Foundation, a member of the ‘Marpu’ counseling centre alongside doctors, psychiatrists, and police personnel.
Ms. Uma Raj notes that youths often start using ganja out of curiosity or for fun, but this can quickly escalate into occasional use and eventually lead to addiction. Some even begin committing crimes under the influence of ganja, she notes.
Dr. N.N. Raju, a noted psychiatrist and former Superintendent of the Government Hospital for Mental Care, suggests that proper parental supervision and monitoring daily routines could help prevent youth from becoming addicts.
On the other hand, the situation with tribal youths in the Agency areas of Alluri Sitharama Raju district, about 100 km from Visakhapatnam, presents a different challenge. Here, young people from remote villages are being lured into transporting or assisting in smuggling ganja for easy money, while their families engage in ganja cultivation due to its lucrative returns.
In 2017, Pangi Ramesh (name changed), a resident of Pedabayalu mandal in ASR district, was arrested under the NDPS Act for helping smugglers from Karnataka transport ganja. His role was to ensure a clear route between Paderu and Madugula, free from police checks. However, the police, acting on credible information, arrested Ramesh and four others.
“At the time, he was just 20 years old and unaware of the consequences. He was denied bail several times and spent a year in jail, which taught him a harsh lesson. Though he is now out on bail and leading a peaceful life, he still feels guilty for his involvement,” said a Sub-Inspector from ASR district. The SI explained that Ramesh committed the offence after being offered a mobile phone worth ₹20,000.
Recently, Home Minister V. Anitha visited Visakhapatnam Central Jail and found numerous tribal youths, aged 18 to 20, in remand for NDPS cases related to ganja smuggling. These youths were arrested for transporting ganja for as little as ₹5,000 to ₹10,000.
“While the masterminds behind these operations remain free, tribal youths languish in prison for months. I’ve learned that some have been granted bail but cannot be released due to their inability to furnish surety because of poverty. This issue needs to be addressed by the legal wing, and a solution must be found,” the Home Minister remarked after inspecting the jail.
There are numerous case studies from the city police showing that ganja users often turn into peddlers for money, only to be arrested later.
100-day action plan
Recognising the seriousness of the ganja menace, the new NDA government initiated a 100-day action plan starting June 12 to curb ganja peddling and abuse.
As part of this plan, the police in Anakapalli, ASR, and Visakhapatnam have intensified their efforts to combat ganja smuggling, sales, and abuse. Meetings with courier agencies, APSRTC, Railways, private transport services, and the management of various institutions are being held to monitor the illegal transport of ganja and other narcotics. Additionally, rallies and marathons with active participation from students and youth are being organised to raise awareness.
“We have a herculean task ahead. Given the alarming situation, we’ve decided to form an Anti-Narcotics Committee headed by an SP-rank officer to tackle drug-related issues,” said Home Minister V. Anitha.
On legalisation
Many are of the opinion that legalising ganja should be the way forward, as ganja is generally considered to be a less-harmful alternative to tobacco, and other hard drugs like MDMA, cocaine and heroin.
However, experts are divided over this. Many argue that legalising ganja would open the floodgates to a drastic rise in consumption, and even prime youngsters for hard drugs in future.
“Right now, the main goal of the State government is to eradicate ganja. That is why programmes like the 100-day action plan and anti-narcotics taskforce are being created. As of now, the government is absolutely not considering the legalisation of ganja,” said a senior government official requesting not to be named.
Changing fortunes
Ganja growers in ASR district have seen their income fluctuate sharply. Killo Dorababu, a resident of Munchingputtu mandal, narrates how his income shot up several times after switching to ganja cultivation. “Fifteen years ago, we were into millet farming in our village. Some traders from Tamil Nadu approached us, gave us a drip irrigation system and taught us how to plant and harvest ganja. Our income, which was around ₹5,000 per month, shot up to ₹25,000 per month. All our debts were wiped out. Since then, we started growing ganja. At one point, we used to earn almost ₹50,000 per acre. In 2022, the police came and destroyed all our ganja plantations. We are now growing cash crops, as the government has directed us to switch back to traditional practices. We also understand the repercussions of cultivating ganja as some of the locals who tried to smuggle it outside were booked under the NDPS Act and languishing in jail.”