Six Arrested in Arak on Charges of Cultivating Marijuana Farm

Ali Asghar Soltani, the deputy prosecutor of Arak, announced on Tuesday, November 8, the arrest of six individuals on charges of cultivating a marijuana farm and the discovery of weapons from them. In an interview with the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, he added that cases related to marijuana cultivation have also been filed in other cities of Markazi province. He stated that the six individuals arrested in Arak were in charge of managing a hemp cultivation farm. According to this judicial official, at the time of their arrest, 'hemp seeds were discovered in the planting stage and had not yet reached the production stage of marijuana.' Cases have been filed against these six individuals under the accusation of 'cultivating hemp with the intent to produce narcotics and possessing illegal military weapons and ammunition.' The deputy prosecutor of Arak added, 'Illegal military weapons were hidden in a location on the farm, and the defendants used them to protect the farm.' He noted that currently five of these individuals have been released on bail, while one remains in custody. Marijuana is a green and sometimes gray substance derived from the dried leaves of hemp, with THC or tetrahydrocannabinol being the active compound affecting brain function after consumption. Currently, marijuana is consumed in Iran under names such as grass, weed, or joint, and media reports indicate a rise in the cultivation of this substance in various cities. According to Iranian media reports, marijuana is cultivated in various forms, including greenhouse and farm methods, at home production levels or on a large scale in some areas. In recent years, these media have reported on the cultivation of marijuana in apartments in Tehran and other cities, and there are also social media pages teaching how to cultivate this plant. Parviz Afshar, spokesman for Iran's Drug Control Headquarters, reported in September of this year about 'illegal cultivation of various narcotics' in some areas of Iran and urged the public to report 'the production and distribution of various narcotics, especially marijuana.' In December of last year, Alireza Pariyar, the social deputy of the police in Kerman province, assessed the level of marijuana cultivation in home pots in this province as 'very concerning.' Three years ago, police reported the discovery of a marijuana farm in the city of Mahan near Kerman. The Mehr news agency also reported in July that the intelligence department of the IRGC in the Savojbolagh region successfully discovered and destroyed a farm where marijuana was being cultivated. Previously, Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, the former police chief, stated in 2007 that due to high humidity and lack of easy access in the heights of Fars and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, 'a number of profiteers are cultivating opium in national lands and natural resources.'