Comments on: Exploring the Future of Cannabis: Himachal Hemp Policy Committee’s Visit to Uttarakhand and NCB Headquarters https://indianhempstore.com/exploring-the-future-of-cannabis-himachal-hemp-policy-committees-visit-to-uttarakhand-and-ncb-headquarters/ Hemp And You Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:55:39 +0000 hourly 1 By: Devendra Dutt, https://indianhempstore.com/exploring-the-future-of-cannabis-himachal-hemp-policy-committees-visit-to-uttarakhand-and-ncb-headquarters/#comment-767 Fri, 07 Jul 2023 16:46:47 +0000 https://indianhempstore.com/?p=11330#comment-767 Formation of HP Hemp Policy Committee is indeed a step in the right direction.
It may be recalled that the Delhi based Institute for Narcotics Studies and Analysis (INSA), had conducted a study on the subject and in its report published in 2016 on drug problems of HP (http://narcoinsa.in/resource/Research/image/2016_Insa%20Report_Kullu-Conference.pdf)
had, inter alia recommended that the State should take an evidence based decision to use cannabis for industrial and medicinal use. Relevant excerpts from the report are given below:
” v) Since cannabis is scientifically known to be a very good source of high quality fibre and biomass for a number of industrial uses and the NDPS Act read with the National Policy on Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances provides for cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes, the Government of India and the State Government should immediately make use of these enabling legal provisions and allow research based industrial use of cannabis varieties having low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), albeit with adequate safeguards against possible misuse thereof.
(vi) A number of countries have already moved ahead in this field and India should not continue to lag behind in harnessing its natural resources.”
That’s why INSA sees formation of this Committee as a step in the right direction, which it hopes will lead to the right decision in near future.

It may not be out of place to mention that a number of states in America have already allowed medicinal use of cannabis in their respective jurisdictions and President Joe Biden is reported to have asked the US Secretary Health and the Attorney General to review classification of cannabis as a schedule-1 drug.
We hope the Government of India too shall make a review of its current policy on cannabis.

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