Tag: india

Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India. Host to the Dalai Lama, it is known for its scenic towns and resorts and is the second largest producer of apples in India only behind Kashmir. Soon, farmers will likely get the chance to cultivate a new crop – cannabis hemp.

India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 prohibits cannabis. However, individual states in India have set their own cannabis policies in some cases, and lawmakers in Himachal Pradesh are in the process of legalizing hemp production. Hemp cannabis, from a legal standpoint, is distinguished from what is considered to be non-hemp cannabis by a THC-content threshold.

The THC threshold for what constitutes hemp and what does not varies around the world, typically within the range of .2-1%. Comparatively, THC in cannabis products widely sold in countries like Uruguay, Canada, and the United States ranges from 15-30%+.

Still, what is being pursued in India is still significant for local farmers who are looking to cultivate a new crop. Per excerpts from The Hindu:

A committee comprising lawmakers that explored the possibility of legal cultivation of cannabis has recently recommended cultivation of ‘non-narcotic use of cannabis for medicinal, industrial, and scientific use’.

An approval from the State Cabinet is awaited after which a policy is expected to be framed soon by the State government on cannabis cultivation keeping in view the provisions of NDPS Act, 1985, and NDPS Rules, 1989.

Unfortunately, the previously cited article dedicates a considerable amount of time to discussing unfounded ‘concerns’ about the reform being pursued. What lawmakers are pursuing is the legalization of low-THC, high-CBD industrial hemp, sometimes referred to as ‘floral hemp’ or ‘cannabis light.’

Numerous peer-reviewed studies on our website demonstrate that regulated CBD products are safe, and a study we published earlier this month found that inhaled floral hemp doesn’t negatively impact driving performance. It’s a largely benign substance that people should not be concerned about and that the farmers of Himachal Pradesh should absolutely be permitted to cultivate.

India has one of the oldest connections to cannabis out of any nation on earth, particularly for sacramental purposes. According to Psychology Today, “The earliest mention of cannabis has been found in The Vedas, or sacred Hindu texts. These writings may have been compiled as early as 2000 to 1400 B.C.”

A common form of cannabis in India is bhang, which is a drink infused with various levels and types of cannabis. Bhang is reportedly common in many parts of India, even though it is technically illegal.

According to section 20 of India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985), ‘the sale/purchase, transportation, interstate import/export or any other commercial activity of cannabis’ is a punishable offense.

Cannabis use is largely tolerated in India, although there are definitely instances of people receiving harsh punishments for simple possession. Medical cannabis use is legal to some degree, with the Centre telling the Delhi High Court in January 2022 that the use of cannabis is ‘not completely banned’ and that ‘medical and scientific use of cannabis is allowed under the law.’

Uttarakhand became the first state in India to allow commercial cultivation of hemp crops back in 2018, and in 2019 the Madhya Pradesh government followed suit. In February 2020 India permitted its first medical cannabis clinic to open in Bengaluru.

Yet, large-scale cultivation of medical cannabis nationwide has remained out of reach. That could be changing soon. Per The Tribune:

Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Sunder Singh Thakur said today that the state government was working to legalise the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes. The government would formulate a policy for cannabis cultivation so that farmers could get additional income, he added.

He presided over the inaugural ceremony of the three-day training workshop of the Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla, at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali.

How long it will take for such reforms to be fully implemented is unclear at this time. What is clear is that if India succeeds in its pursuits, it will move closer to taking its rightful spot as an international cannabis industry powerhouse.

Historically, cannabis was portrayed as ‘the scourge of man’ in film and by mainstream media. The related reefer madness-induced stigma was simultaneously perpetuated by lawmakers across the globe. Meanwhile, alcohol is embraced by most cultures and political majorities around the world and has been for a logn time, which is unfortunate given how much safer cannabis is compared to alcohol.

In fact, a team of international researchers once determined that cannabis is roughly 114 times safer than alcohol. Given that mathematical fact and the scientific research backing it up, why is cannabis illegal in so many places, and yet alcohol is permitted?

According to the World Health Organization, “The harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions,” and “Worldwide, 3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol. This represents 5.3% of all deaths.”

Conversely, no one has ever died in recorded human history from consuming cannabinoids alone. There have been examples of cannabis being contaminated and people dying from consuming the contaminants, but never from consuming the cannabinoids alone. Clearly, given those facts, cannabis prohibition policies are not based on science.

While it’s very important to highlight the hypocrisy of cannabis prohibition and simultaneous permitted alcohol consumption and sales, it’s also important to refrain from shaming people for alcohol use. Just as consuming cannabis is a personal choice, so too is the choice to consume alcohol. Prohibition of either substance doesn’t work.

With that being said, given the difference between the two from a safety standpoint, the more that people consume cannabis instead of alcohol is always a good thing, and something that governments should encourage as part of a harm reduction strategy.

That is a point that seems to be embraced by at least one lawmaker in India who is ramping up calls to regulate cannabis like alcohol. Per excerpts from Scroll.in:

A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Chhattisgarh has suggested the promotion of bhaang and cannabis as alternatives to liquor, claiming that those who consume the former rarely commit serious crimes, PTI reported on Monday.

While I don’t agree with some of the rhetorical alcohol shaming that is part of the conversation in India right now, I do agree with the sentiment on the pro-cannabis side to some degree.

Just as someone can consume alcohol responsibly and should be allowed to do so, so too should people be allowed to consume cannabis responsibly if that is their choice, and that should be true in India as well as everywhere else.