Don’t even think about planting it.
Officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) officials are warning people who are cultivating marijuana that they face life imprisonment once found guilty.
The two agencies pointed out that in many cases, arrested cannabis cultivators were unaware that they face life in jail when they started growing up marijuana plants and seedlings to augment their income,” reports Alfred Dalizon on Journal Online.
The report noted: “From 2012 to date, PDEA records showed that more than 1,120 secret marijuana plantation sites, mostly found in the tri-boundaries of Ilocos Sur, La Union and Benguet have been smashed by the agency with the help of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
Unfortunately, as the report indicated, “only a few arrests were made during the marijuana eradication drives since cultivators could easily spot the presence of government agents and flee through the forests.”
The report also pointed oout, “In many incidents, cannabis cultivators also easily escape upon hearing the sound of helicopters ferrying troops in their areas.”
For the record, Section 16 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA 9165) dictates “a penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from PHP500,000 to PHP10 million shall be imposed to any person, who shall plant, cultivate or culture marijuana or opium poppy.”
