You might not know it walking down Bui Vien, but marijuana is illegal in Vietnam and police are keeping an eye out for it. A 55-year-old Thu Duc man learned this the hard way when on June 11, police confiscated a crop of 26 plants he was growing in a graveyard.
The plants were being grown in an alley off of National Road 13 by Doan Minh Hung who told police that they were for medicinal purposes.
Many of the plants were fully matured, reaching up to 2.4 meters and police are investigating the origin of the seeds used to grow the majestic plants.
According to Thanh Nien, the penalties from growing in Vietnam are:
“Individuals caught growing cannabis plants for the first time are subject to an administrative fine.
However, repeat violations carry a jail terms of between six months and three years, and up to seven years for violations for third-time violations, in addition to fines of up to VND50 million (US$2,350).”
[Thanh Nien // Image via Coleen Whitfield]
