Himachal Pradesh: Cannabis Cultivation Set To Become Legal As State Assembly Passes Resolution

SHIMLA: In a significant development, the cultivation of cannabis, popularly known by the street name marijuana or weed, is set to become legal in Himachal Pradesh after a resolution was passed by the state assembly in this regard.

This resolution was adopted based on the recommendations of an Assembly committee report. The report proposed cannabis as a potential economic asset if utilized for medicinal and industrial purposes. 

Revenue Minister and chairman of the Assembly committee Jagat Singh Negi affirmed that an overall consensus was struck by the ruling and opposition party. 

Negi shared that the committee visited all the districts of Himachal Pradesh to take feedback from the local residents regarding the ways in which cannabis cultivation could be used for medicinal and industrial purposes.

The minister said that the successful models implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh was scrutinized meticulously.

He said that the overwhelming consensus was in favour of legalising it in Himachal Pradesh.

Highlighting its benefits, Negi underlined that cannabis cultivation has great potential for both industrial and medicinal use, adding that the industrial hemp plant will be drug-free, with negligible levels of THC, while the medicinal variety will be tightly controlled, similar to opium cultivation under the NDPS Act.

He also pointed out that industrial cannabis farming would require minimal land, particularly in regions where traditional crops struggle due to water scarcity or animal interference.

"Investors are interested in industrial hemp, and we will ensure strict regulations to manage medicinal cannabis cultivation, following controlled protocols to prevent misuse,” he said.

According to the World Health Organisation, Cannabis is by far the most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug.

WHO has said that cannabis seizures amount to half of all drug seizures worldwide. The geographical spread of those seizures is also global, covering practically every nook and corner of the world.

About 147 million people, 2.5% of the world population, consume cannabis (annual prevalence) compared with 0.2% consuming cocaine and 0.2% consuming opiates.

In the present decade, cannabis abuse has grown more rapidly than cocaine and opiate abuse.

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