KUWAIT CITY, May 29: Hemp, the plant from which marijuana is produced, is cultivated indoors by some drug users in Kuwait.
The source who revealed this to the Arab Times under conditions of anonymity is a youth, a regular marijuana smoker himself.
He has been using marijuana since the age of 16. He procures marijuana from his friends who cultivate the hemp in their villas indoors.
However, as indoor cultivation is not a very dependable source of supply, he and his friends often buy “the stuff” that comes through a chain of drug peddlers whose origin is never really known.
An ounce of marijuana costs about KD 500 in Kuwait, the source revealed. “Of course, there are grades in quality, and I am talking about the best quality.”

He and his friends pool in money to procure the contraband from a peddler, “who would be selling the item sixth or seventh hand.”

The source suspects the peddlers to be cultivating marijuana inside Kuwait, “as it’s not worth the risk to smuggle it in. It is not worth it unless you are smuggling the goods in very huge quantities, running into hundreds of thousands of KD.”

Describing the hemps that are grown indoors by his friends, the source said the plants are grown in earthen pots under artificial lighting; due ventilation is provided for fresh air.”

“It doesn’t take up much space and can be grown in a closet, or on a corner in the bedroom.” One of his friends grows it in the bathroom because the plant gives off a peculiar smell, which is easy to detect.”
Further the source noted that cultivating the plants requires due planning and is time-demanding. “Light, water and air have to be provided in due proportion, and temperature should be optimal. These factors have to be well controlled to induce flowering. Marijuana comes from the flowers of the hemp.”

The flowers are dried and powdered before use. “Marijuana is usually mixed with tobacco, rolled in a cigarette paper and smoked. The tobacco is important to keep it burning.”

The source had his first shot of marijuana at the age of 11 in Egypt. “That didn’t give me any buzz, and I tried it a few years later, again to no effect. It was in high school that I got hooked to it, and ever since I have been smoking it.”

Asked why marijuana is so attractive to youth, the source said it clears up the mind and helps one think clearly. He doesn’t consider it as intoxicating. “It is a strong anti-depressant.”