Tag: pakistan

Pakistan Is Allocating Funds For Medical Cannabis And Hemp Production

Written by Johnny Green on June 11, 2025. Posted in Business, Policy.

Over a year ago, Pakistan’s government approved the creation of a cannabis regulatory agency to oversee the nation’s emerging legal industry. The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2024 resulted in the creation of the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority, which reportedly involves a 13-member board of governors, chaired by Pakistan’s Secretary of the Defense Division.

Pakistan’s emerging legal medical cannabis and hemp industries received a boost recently with the announcement that the nation’s government will be allocating a significant amount of public funding, Rs. 1.95 billion, toward medical cannabis and hemp production.

“The project, approved by the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) in December 2021, aims to lay the foundation for a regulated and science-driven cannabis industry in Pakistan.” reported Propakistani in its local coverage.

“It includes the development of advanced greenhouses for medical cannabis cultivation, the establishment of a national analytical laboratory to ensure quality and compliance, and the formation of a central authority to oversee industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis activities.” the outlet also reported.

Cannabis industry licenses in Pakistan are expected to be valid for five-year periods, and a maximum harvest threshold of .3% THC will be enforced. Pakistan first approved hemp farming and related industrial processing back in September 2020.

Pakistan’s main exports are currently textiles, cotton, yarn, rice, and leather products. An industry projection from August 2022 estimated that a thriving hemp industry in Pakistan could be worth multiple billions of dollars annually. Many kush cannabis strains originated in the Pakistan region.

At the recent International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin, leading international cannabis industry economist Beau Whitney, founder of Whitney Economics, estimated that the potential global medical and adult-use cannabis market is roughly $237.8 billion. Mr. Whitney estimated that the value of the global industrial hemp industry could be $456.2 billion.

Cannabis May Induce Remission In Crohn’s Disease Patients

Written by Frank Schuler on February 23, 2025. Posted in Science.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease and a very serious health condition that affects the suffering patient’s digestive tract. Chron’s disease can cause inflammation and ulcers in any part of the patient’s digestive system.

International researchers estimate that 6 million people are affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) globally. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for Crohn’s disease.

Researchers in Pakistan recently conducted a meta-analysis focusing on medical cannabis use and Crohn’s disease, finding that medical cannabis therapies may be associated with clinical remission of the health condition. Below is more information about the study and its findings via a news release from NORML:

Karachi, Pakistan: Cannabis use is associated with clinical remission in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients and it represents a promising therapeutic option for managing the disease, according to a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science.

A team of Pakistani investigators reviewed data from five randomized clinical trials involving 176 participants. In three of the trials, subjects used either cannabis cigarettes or a placebo. In two of the trials, subjects ingested either plant-derived extracts or a placebo.

Researchers determined: “The analysis indicates that cannabis may be beneficial in inducing clinical remission. … Specifically, individuals receiving cannabis treatment exhibited substantially higher rates of clinical remission at eight weeks compared to those in the control group.”

The study’s authors concluded: “In conclusion, the meta-analysis suggests that cannabis could be a promising therapeutic option for managing CD with minimal side effects. The findings … support its potential as an adjunct or alternative therapy, especially for patients unresponsive to conventional treatments.”

Full text of the study, “Cannabis use in Crohn’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials,” appears in the Irish Journal of Medical Science. Additional information on cannabis and Crohn’s disease is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

Pakistan Approves Creation Of Cannabis Regulatory Agency

Written by Hazel Norman on March 4, 2024. Posted in Business, Policy.

Pakistan may not be the first country that you think of when it comes to the emerging international cannabis industry, however, the nation is making strides to establish itself as an international cannabis player.

That is evidenced by the recent approval of a historic measure for Pakistan, which will, among other things, authorize the country to create a regulatory agency to oversee the nation’s legal cannabis industry once it is operating. Per Hum News:

President Dr Arif Alvi has given his nod to the promulgation of the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2024, a significant move aimed at regulating the cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis derivatives for medical and industrial purposes.

The ordinance, officially titled the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2024, aligns with Pakistan’s commitment as a signatory to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961. It mandates the establishment of a government agency to oversee the cultivation and production of cannabis, in accordance with international conventions.

The new agency will be known as the ‘Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority’ and will reportedly involve a 13-member board of governors, chaired by Pakistan’s Secretary of the Defense Division. The board will incorporate representatives from several government departments, the industry itself, and Pakistan’s intelligence agencies.

Pakistan’s Ministry Of Science And Technology Is Forming Cannabis Authority

Written by Frank Schuler on June 29, 2022. Posted in Policy, Science.

Industrial hemp is legal in Pakistan, with the country harvesting its first legal hemp crop late last year. Unfortunately, all other forms of cannabis are still prohibited in the conservative country.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Science and Technology wants to change that. Despite Pakistan never allowing cannabis consumption in the modern era, the Ministry is ramping up a push to reform the country’s cannabis laws to permit some type of use. Per Pro Pakistani:

The Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) said that Pakistan can generate $8 billion in revenue within four years by implementing a policy on cannabis.

He stated this during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology under the chairmanship of Senator Shafiq Tarin.

The committee discussed that the government could earn $2 billion in revenue in a matter of months by developing a policy on cannabis use.

Based on the experiences of other nations, the projections and timelines being floated in Pakistan are likely a bit too ambitious. It will take time to successfully transition Pakistan from complete prohibition to a thriving industry capable of yielding billions in public revenue.

However, the fact that Pakistan is pursuing cannabis reform in any fashion is a good thing. Just as prohibition has failed everywhere else on earth, it’s a failed public policy in Pakistan as well.