Is North Korea the CANNABIS CAPITAL? Hermit state border hit with spate of 'weed tourists
NORTH Korea has been praised as a marijuana paradise with Chinese and Russian tourists reportedly flocking to the hermit kingdom’s border to buy cheap weed.
North Korea has been hailed a cannabis paradise
Chinese tourists have reportedly been visiting the border to buy large quantities of bargain price marijuana and then selling it for profit.
Known locally as yeoksam, cannabis has been sold for as little as £3 a kilo in the border town of Rason, according to Radio Free Asia’s Korean service.
But despite marijuana news outlets such as High Times and Merry Jane claiming North Korea could kick Amsterdam off the pothead top spot, marijuana remains illegal under Kim Jong-un’s regime.
There should be no doubt that drugs, including marijuana, are illegal here
Torkel Stiernlof, the Swedish ambassador to North Korea, said: “There should be no doubt that drugs, including marijuana, are illegal here.
“One can’t buy it legally and it would be a criminal offence to smoke it.”
Tourists caught smoking can “expect no leniency whatsoever”, he added.
Marijuana remains illegal under Kim Jong-un’s regime
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North Korea has jailed American citizens to years in prison for offences such as leaving a Bible in a public place and for trying to steal a political banner.
In a further blow, it has been claimed tourists are being duped into buying hemp, with not enough THC, the primary ingredient in marijuana, to get high.
Troy Collings, managing director of Young Pioneer Tours, told AP: “I’ve seen and even purchased hemp, but it doesn’t contain any THC and is just sold as a cheap substitute for tobacco.
Tourists caught smoking can “expect no leniency whatsoever”
Cannabis has been sold for as little as £3 a kilo in the border town of Rason
“It grows wild in the mountainous regions of the North and people pick it, dry it and sell it in the markets, but it doesn’t get you high no matter how much you smoke.”
Hemp is used in North Korea to make clothes, towels and is used in cooking oils and noodles.
Kim Jong-un allows hemp to be grown under official sanctions with low levels of THC.
An unnamed official said: “No one smokes this in our country.
“It’s only used for making things.”