North Korea, Eldorado for Chinese pot dealers?

Chinese visitors to North Korea usually go there on business trips. But some tourists take the opportunity to buy cannabis by the kilo.

In North Korea, cannabis production is legal. Local growers are taking advantage of China’s prosperity in the Rason Special Economic Zone to sell their most profitable crop. In this isolated country, cannabis is known as «yoksam.» Its cultivation and consumption are legal.

Rason is a port city in the northeast of the country, not far from the Chinese and Russian borders. This area is designated for potential foreign investment. However, every visitor must have a special visa issued by the central government in Pyongyang.

According to Radio Free Asia, «The Chinese buy large quantities of local «yoksam» for about 30 yuan per kilo (4.1 €/kilo) and resell it for 500 yuan (67.5 €) on the black market across the border.»  This is a dangerous activity for Chinese dealers, but less risky than importing methamphetamine, which North Korea produces in large quantities. In the city of Rason, methamphetamine is also cheap for Chinese dealers, but Chinese authorities are prioritizing the targeting of crystal meth importers.

In China, the transportation, sale, and purchase of medical or recreational cannabis are prohibited. Only the cultivation of industrial hemp for textile purposes is permitted.

Cannabis in North Korea

Since the early 1980s, cannabis cultivation has been permitted in North Korea. According to Radio Free Asia, it was Kim Il Sung, grandfather Kim Jong-Un, who also encouraged the cultivation of Yoksam. While cannabis is used in cooking (oil) and for its fiber (textiles), it is primarily grown for its dried flowers. According to one resident, North Korean citizens are unaware that this plant is illegal in most parts of the world.

«The North Koreans didn’t think this plant could bring them so much money; now you can see it growing everywhere in the fields.» Thanks to its high profitability and abundant yield, most farmers in Hamgyong Province are said to be growing cannabis. «Yoksam» is not considered a drug under North Korean law.