Gochang-gun Conducts Intensive Crackdown on Illegal Cultivation of Poppy and Hemp

[Gochang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil] Jeonbuk Gochang-gun announced on the 27th that it will conduct a special crackdown on the cultivation of poppies and hemp to fundamentally block the spread of illegal narcotics in cooperation with the Gochang Police Station until mid-July.

This crackdown will focus on cases where cultivation is secretly carried out using areas around homes, farm greenhouses, gardens, or yards, or where hemp is grown without permission.

Poppies are plants that serve as raw materials for narcotics, and although some farms cultivate them for ornamental purposes or as folk medicine for treating indigestion, all such activities are illegal.

Even cultivating a small amount can result in punishment under the Narcotics Control Act, including imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

Hemp also cannot be sown or cultivated without permission from administrative authorities.

Yu Byungsoo, director of the Gochang-gun Public Health Center, said, “If you discover illegally cultivated or naturally growing poppies or hemp, please report them to the Gochang-gun Public Health Center’s Medical Treatment and Pharmaceutical Team or the nearby police station.”

Gochang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil gjg7070@asiae.co.kr