A 53-year-old man was arrested on Saturday by Jolarpet police for growing ganja in the backyard of his house in Jolarpet, near Tirupattur town.
Police said that based on a tip-off, a search was conducted and they found ganja plants that had grown to a height of six to seven feet in the backyard of his house.
Police seized the fresh plants and arrested the man, who was identified as B. Panneer.
Panneer told police that he had been growing the plants in his house for several months. During questioning, he said that he had been using the ganja leaves in his food as they have medicinal qualities.
The Jolarpet police registered a case and arrested Panneer, who was remanded in judicial custody after being produced before a local court in Tirupattur.
Distributed free of cost
Preliminary inquiries revealed that he had been distributing the fresh ganja leaves to some of his friends free of cost. Panneer told police that he was not aware that growing ganja in the backyard of the house was an offence, adding that he had never sold the leaves to anyone.
Further investigation is on, police said.
