Ganja production has significantly declined in the state, according to Home Minister V Anitha, and most of the ganja that has been confiscated in recent months was grown and being smuggled from Odisha.

Strict measures are being taken against pedlars and growers, she added, and the state administration is working to regulate the production and distribution of ganja and medicines.

The DGP-level officials of AP, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, and Odisha spoke about coordination and preventing the ganja issue, she said in response to a question posed by YSRCP MLCs P Ravidrababu and Chandragiri Yesuratnam in the Council on Thursday.

According to Anitha, it is suggested that support programs for the relatives of ganja growers and vendors be discontinued. She also said that, in accordance with Central government regulations, growing, supplying, selling, or purchasing ganja is illegal and that anyone found guilty would face severe consequences.

The home minister noted that the EAGLE department, which coordinates with other ministries, was established to deal with ganja and drugs. Thousands of awareness campaigns about the negative consequences of ganja intake were held in schools and universities around the state. She noted that the majority of the ganja stock that was confiscated in the state was grown in the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

According to Anitha, in 2021, 7.4 lakh kg of ganja were confiscated nationwide, with over two lakh kg of that amount occurring in AP.

Drones are being used to gather data on ganja growing, she told the Council. After seeing the drones in their communities, several ganja growers and vendors are ceasing operations.

According to Anitha, ganja growers in certain areas are ruining the crop themselves out of fear of being arrested by the authorities. She said that three locations in the state—Vizag, Guntur, and Kadapa—saw the seizure of cocaine.

She said that drug users in Kadapa now had access to de-addiction centers.