You can’t deny that India has some serious history with cannabis/marijuana/weed/pot/ganja/bhang (whatever you want to call it). With its traditional ayurvedic roots and the babas smoking it up, medicinal use of marijuana is not news for us.
“Shiv ji ki bhang toh humaare culture mein hai (Lord Shiva’s bhang is part of India’s culture),” Member of Parliament Dr Dharamvira Gandhi said at a conference to promote use of cannabis-based medicines held on Friday.
The conference titled “Cannabis R&D in India: A Scientific, Medical and Legal Perspective” had experts call for “liberal regulatory regime for cannabis-based medicine in India.” In simpler words, they hinted at wanting legalisation of medical marijuana.
The conference was jointly hosted by Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO) and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) along with other stakeholders.
CSIR-IIIM is the first institute to get an official license to cultivate cannabis plant. In partnership with BOHECO, they grow the plant in Jammu within the present framework.
Medicinal properties of marijuana have for long been advocated now. World over, countries are waking up to the medical benefits of marijuana. 29 out of 50 states in the US have made it legal in some form.
However, only recently there have been significant steps taken towards using it commercially.
Also present at the event were Patiala MP Dr Gandhi and Minister of State for PMO Dr Jitendra Singh.
While Dr Gandhi strongly advocated legalising marijuana, Dr Singh was quick to warn against misuse in the same breath as promoting the use for medicinal purposes.
Dr Gandhi has proposed amendments to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the Parliament to promote its use for these purposes.
Some early studies have explored the beneficial effects of Cannabidiol, one such chemical, on persons addicted to opioids like heroin, alcohol and even tobacco. This chemical can have useful applications in the treatment of addictive disorders.
“But testing for this is difficult due to its current ambiguous position under the law in India, especially the NDPS Act,” adds Dr Benegal.
Chronic diseases are on the rise in India and BOHECO co-founder Jahan Peston Jamas says that existing medical solutions are not proving adequate. “In this scenario, cannabis-based medicines can offer a high-quality, cost-effective solution for patient populations across urban and rural India.”
Last year, Indian CMCG giant Patanjali had declared that it is exploring the medical benefits of cannabis in this labs.
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