India, Oct. 13 -- In Himachal Pradesh's Parvati Valley, a picturesque tourist destination in the Kullu district, a multi-agency operation is underway against illicit cannabis cultivation.

Parvati Valley has become infamous for the production and trafficking of high-quality hashish(hash). An NCB officer said the crackdown aims not only to nip the problem in the bud by targeting cultivation at its source but also because drugs sourced from elsewhere are sold or marketed as originating from the region in north India.

Hashish (and marijuana) is sold at several times the normal street price after being tagged as a product of the sacred Parvati Valley. Officials believe sustained action against illicit cultivation across the valley, which lie...