A roof-top urban farm in Chonburi: modern, efficient and illegal Photos by Thatree Rasrichan
By Terry Fredrickson
Urban farming has come to Thailand. Unfortunately, the crop involved is illegal and Nattapon Pattanaprateepkul is big trouble as a result.
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Roof-top ganja farmer arrested
Rooftop marijuana grower Nattapon Pattanaprateepkul was arrested at his home in Chon Buri on Thursday.
Urban farming has come to Thailand.
Unfortunately, the crop involved is illegal and Nattapon Pattanaprateepkul is in big trouble as a result.
He was arrested at his home yesterday by Chon Buri police for growing more than 200 marijuana plants on the roof deck of the three-storey townhouse in Muang district.
Mr Nattapon, 29, a master’s degree holder, described himself as an avid cannabis user. He said he had cultivated his plants for his own use and for sale for three years before the police, acting on a tip-off arrested him.
Mr Nattapon told police he learned how to cultivate the marijuana plant from the internet and purchased about two dozen species of seeds online from foreign sources costing him 300 baht each.
He sold his "magic weed" at between 15,000-20,000 baht per kilogramme, depending on the plant’s species
The house, where the elaborate growing operation was found, was owned by Mr Nattapon’s father. The man's "secret garden” was installed with an insect-proof net, wall-mounted fans and an automatic sprinkler system.
Mr Nattapon was charged with consuming and producing a Type 5 drug.
Mr Nattapon told reporters he used marijuana to relax and never caused anyone any trouble.
Well, he did cause trouble for one person – himself.
Adapted from a story on bangkokpost.com
Vocabulary
arrested: caught by the police and taken to a police station because you are believed to have committed a crime - ถูกจับกุม
avid: extremely eager or interested - กระตือรือร้น
cannabis: marijuana; a drug made from the dried leaves and flowers or resin of the hemp plant, which is smoked or eaten and which gives the user a feeling of being relaxed. Use of the drug is illegal in many countries. - กัญชา
consume: to eat, drink or use something - บริโภค
crop: a plant grown for food, usually on a farm - พืชผล
cultivate: to prepare land and grow crops on it - เตรียมเพื่อเพาะปลูก, เพาะปลูก
depend on: according to; affected by things that happen - ขึ้นอยู่กับ
efficient: effective and well organised (the opposite is inefficient) - มีประสิทธิภาพ
elaborate: containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts - ที่ประณีต,อย่างรอบคอบ,ซับซ้อน,ละเอียด,ที่บรรจง
illegal: against the law - ผิดกฎหมาย, นอกกฎหมาย
insect-proof: not affected by insects; not allowing insects to enter -
involved: taking part or having a role in something - เกี่ยวข้อง
marijuana: a drug (illegal in many countries) made from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, which gives the person smoking it a feeling of being relaxed - กัญชา, ต้นกัญชา
master’s degree: a university degree that students get if they study for one or two years after their first degree - ปริญญาโท
mount: to fix something into position on something, so that you can use it, look at it or study it - ตั้ง, จัดตั้ง
operation: a business activity - การดำเนินการทางธุรกิจ
relax: to become calm and not anxious - ผ่อนคลาย
source: the place/person/organisation from which you get something - แหล่ง
species: a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other - พันธ์,จำพวก
sprinkler: a device inside a building which automatically sprays out water if there is a rise in temperature because of a fire - สปริงเกลอร์, เครื่องฉีดน้ำ
storey: a level in a building - ชั้นของตึกหรืออาคาร
tip-off: secret information or a warning given by someone - ข่าวเตือน จากวงใน
unfortunately: making you sad or disappointed, or getting you into a difficult position - น่าเสียดาย
urban: connected with towns and cities - เขตเมือง
