Mad reefer: beef noodle shop peddles manic marijuana strain

Police uncovered growing locations of a rare strain of marijuana in Yilan County, Taichung City, and Kaohsiung City, after a months-long investigation that uncovered a drug ring centered around a beef noodle restaurant in northern Taiwan. The Third Special Police Corps began an investigation into the drug ring in April after the arrest of a male foreign student who was found growing a rare cannabis variety known as “sour diesel” in Taoyuan City. The suspect, described in media reports as

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County Mayor takes a sniff but doesn’t get a whiff at Changhua’s biggest marijuana bust display

Changhua County Mayor Wang Huei-mei said she still doesn’t know what marijuana smells like because she was wearing a mask while visiting a police exhibit displaying evidence of the largest cannabis growing operation uncovered in the county in recent years. Changhua County prosecutors have charged four men in relation to the case after police investigators found 275 marijuana plants being grown in a rented apartment in Xizhou Township. Investigators conducted a 24-hour surveillance on the operation, and finally swooped a

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Migrant workers caught growing cannabis, breaching epidemic restrictions in Pingtung County

A group of migrant workers were charged for growing cannabis, and producing marijuana cigarettes in Pingtung County, Sunday, and will also be fined for breaching epidemic restrictions, Liberty Times, and United Daily News reported today, Tuesday, May 25. Ligang Police Sub-bureau received a report claiming that someone was growing marijuana and making marijuana cigarettes, leading to an investigation that culminated in a raid on a property in Yanpu Township at around 3:00 pm, Sunday. Police arrested six Thai and Vietnamese

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Another record cannabis grow-op busted: Decriminalization “impossible” says MOJ

Hsinchu City police announced they had uncovered the largest indoor cannabis cultivation operation in history, and the Minister of Justice said that decriminalization of marijuana in Taiwan is “absolutely not possible” at a press conference today, May 7. The record marijuana haul, grown in a factory building, included 1,540 live cannabis plants, 7 kilograms of finished product, and 880 marijuana cigarettes. Police estimate the value of the haul at close to NT$500 million. Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) attended

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Large cannabis grow-op uncovered in Hsinchu County

The Criminal Investigation Bureau raided a property in Hsinchu County recently and uncovered a marijuana cultivation operation with more than 1,600 plants, the CIB revealed at a press conference today, April 21. A police spokesperson said that the Taipei office of the CIB received a report in mid-March that a drug cartel had rented a large factory in Hsinchu to plant cannabis. The subsequent investigation found that seedlings were raised in the factory, then transferred to a property in the

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Pro-cannabis legalization groups to hold “Marijuana Parade” in Taipei City tomorrow

Cannabis legalization advocacy groups will assemble for a parade in Taipei City tomorrow, Saturday, April 17, and police announced relevant traffic control measures today, appealing to the public to cooperate with traffic control. It is the third annual marijuana parade since the first was held in 2019. “The Green Wave” and other civil groups advocating the legalization of cannabis will gather in front of Taiwan’s parliamentary building, the Legislative Yuan, on the corner of Zhongshan South Road and Jinan Road.

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Taiwan to reduce sentences for growing marijuana for own use after constitutional ruling

The penalty for growing marijuana for one’s own use will be reduced from the current minimum of five years in prison, after the Judicial Yuan deemed such sentences unconstitutional based on the principle of proportionality. The ruling was made March 20 last year, and lawmakers were given one year to make amendments to the law. Amendments to the Drug Harm Prevention and Control Regulations will be sent to the Executive Yuan for discussion tomorrow, March 11, according to reports in

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National record for cannabis cultivation broken once again, after 1,600+ plant grow-op busted

Chiayi County police and district prosecutors uncovered a record haul of 1,648 marijuana plants after raids on multiple properties in the county, Sunday, February 21. The previous record for a cannabis cultivation operation bust for Taiwan law enforcement was set in August 2020, when Taichung City Police uncovered 1,361 plants in Nantou County. See previous story: Biggest marijuana plantation in Taiwan’s history busted in Nantou County Chiayi County police began an investigation into the operation in November 2020, and raided

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Man with “Keep Calm and Smoke Weed” poster on front door busted growing marijuana

A man arrested after police raided his apartment and found 18 marijuana plants, said that he had decided to grow his own marijuana because it had become so expensive during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to police statements at a press conference today, December 31, police were tipped off on December 23 that a 35-year-old man named Huang was trafficking in marijuana. After several days of investigation, police raided Huang’s residence in Sanchong District, and found 18 live cannabis plants, a

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Taiwanese-American Cannabis ventures fear asking help from Taiwanese community

As the legal cannabis business in the United States expands into what may be a US$34 billion dollar industry by 2025, according to some estimates, Taiwanese-American cannabis ventures face a unique hurdle – fear of asking for help from the Taiwanese community. James Shih, an experienced attorney, CEO, and co-founder of California-based My Green Network (MyGN) reached out to Taiwan English News to talk about the problem. Shih, fellow co-founder and Chief Legal Officer, Ken Hwang, a seasoned entertainment and

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More than 500 marijuana plants seized in Pingtung County raid

Police in Pingtung County seized 524 cannabis plants, and arrested two male suspects, after raiding a farmhouse in Zhutian Township Thursday morning, November 12. Police said at a press conference today that the bust came after an investigation spanning more than three months. In July, police were tipped off that someone was manufacturing and selling marijuana cigarettes somewhere in the Zhutian area. After a three month long investigation two suspects and a property were identified. On the morning of November

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