After the US MORE Act And The UN Vote, India Should Also Legalize Marijuana
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2020-12-08 08:00:01
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The country that forced India to enact the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act in 1985 and include marijuana (which was widely consumed in India and was also socially accepted) in the list of banned substances is now dismantling the restrictions itself. In a historic move, the US House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act that decriminalizes marijuana use across the country. Is there any logic, therefore, for India to keep the same on the statute books? India should also decriminalizes the use of marijuana. Ganja and bhang have been consumed by the working class, sadhus, ascetics and others for ages and no eyebrows are raised for that. Bhang, along with thandai, is an integral part of celebrations during Holi and Mahashivrathi festivals.
Another strong point in favour of such decriminalization is that India has voted in favour of a move by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 convention. If India supports such declassification of cannabis in the UN, it must also remove restrictions on recreational use in India. As a corollary, the witch hunt in the film industry, spearheaded by NCB, must also stop forthwith. People in the industry are being harassed for possessing small quantities of the drug for self-use and are being branded as "charsis" which is extremely unfortunate.
Further, with the US allowing marijuana use, India must look at it as a huge business opportunity. The global market was valued at $17.7 billion in 2019. It is expected to grow at a compound rate of 18.1 over the period 2021-27. With serious planning, India can take a big slice of this market by legalizing marijuana. The benefits in terms of export earning and government taxes will be huge. India must not shy away from grabbing this opportunity. India can invest in infrastructure to churn out better quality of the drug which, apart from its addictive use, is known to have therapeutic and medicinal value.
Picture: Credit- Nila Newson, courtesy - fineartamerica.com
