Cannabis in India

Why in news?

Experts stress the need for research and physician training to expand medical uses of cannabis in India.

• The Cannabis or hemp flower has many names (colloquially known as ganja, charas or maal).
• Family – Canabenaceae.
  • Cannabis is mainly associated with 3 species of flowering plants, namely sativa, indica, and ruberalis.
• Distribution – The plants are indigenous to Central Asia and the India, which have been growing freely along the Himalayan foothills and adjacent plains of India for centuries.
• Laws on Cannabis in India – NDPS Act – The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 1985, effectively banning the cultivation, production, and consumption of cannabis along with 70 other narcotic and psychotropic drugs.

India is a signatory to the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961)

• Section 10 of NDPS act – Empowers state governments to regulate, permit, or prohibit the cultivation of cannabis for these uses.

Uttarakhand – The first state to permit the commercial cultivation of hemp plants, followed by Madhya Pradesh, and other states are conducting controlled cultivation for research purposes.

• Legal in many countries – Canada, Thailand, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, much of Latin America, and several American states, etc.
• Argument for legalizing – Cannabis can relieve people from pain, especially in cases of cancer patients who need palliative care.
• Medicinal uses – To help relieve lifelong ailments, cancer treatments, chronic pain, and digestive problems, full-spectrum cannabis extracts are now available in India.
• Risk – Short-term side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth, increased appetite, mood changes, and forgetfulness.
• Long-term or uncontrolled use can affect memory and concentration, and increase the risk of dependence.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, patients with uncontrolled heart problems, and those with substance-use disorders are advised not to use.

References

1. The Hindu | Cannabis in India
2. National Library of Medicine | Cannabis in India