Opposition to Medicinal Cannabis Regulation Fierce in India
The proposal aims to allow controlled cultivation and sale of the product to pharmaceutical companies; Aam Aadmi Party leader believes advancing such a proposal would turn Goan youth into drug addicts or traffickers
Curation and editing by Sechat Content, with information from The GrowthOp (Angela Stelmakowich)
A proposal to allow cannabis cultivation has sparked outrage from the Goa Pradesh Youth Congress (GPYC) in India. President Varad Mardolkar warned that, in his view, any move would turn state ministers into 'Pablo Escobars'.
“Some ministers are interested in this and are running the state and making these decisions on behalf of the drug lobby,” accused Mardolkar, according to Daiji World.
Escobar was a notorious cocaine kingpin who headed the Medellín drug cartel. He died in December 1993, allegedly after being shot by Colombian forces.
>>> Join Sechat's TELEGRAM group and be the first to receive news
Opposition is Fierce Even if Cannabis is for Medicinal Purposes
The Hindustan Times reported last month that the Goa government is considering a proposal from a central government agency to legalize cannabis cultivation for medical purposes. The idea would be to allow controlled cultivation and sale of the product to pharmaceutical companies. This decision would be in line with liquor regulation in the state.
The next step would be to introduce a bill on the matter. But in late December, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reportedly said that the state government was not allowing cannabis cultivation.
Citing a proposal received from the Indian Institute of Integrated Medicine, Sawant said the government was examining it, but at the moment, "has no interest in pursuing this proposal," according to Republic World.
This did not stop the GPYC from posting a message on Facebook this week. A GPYC committee submitted “a memorandum on a strong demand to prevent state governments from introducing a 'Draconian Law' on cannabis cultivation in the state of Goa,” notes the post.
>>> Join Sechat's WHATSAPP group and be the first to receive news
The message follows comments by Mardolkar earlier this week to reporters after the memorandum was sent. If the proposal were given the green light, he argued that “the state's government administrative apparatus would find it very difficult to regulate cannabis cultivation sites”
Mardolkar is not the only person vehemently criticizing the proposal to allow medicinal cannabis cultivation.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Rahul Mhambre also argued against it. He believes that advancing such a proposal would turn Goan youth into drug addicts or traffickers. At the same time, it would turn the state into a “drug den”.
>>> Sechat promotes free services of 118 prescribers of Medicinal Cannabis
UN Vote
Recently, India voted in favor of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) measure. This measure aimed to remove cannabis from the most restricted drug control list.
“With 27 in favor, 25 against, and one abstention, the CND opened the door to recognizing the drug's medicinal and therapeutic potential. Nevertheless, its use for non-medical and non-scientific purposes remains illegal,” said a UN statement last month.
>> Sechat confirms the largest Medicinal Cannabis event in Brazil for 2021
The cannabis drink, bhang, is easily accessible in several states in India. However, the plant remains illegal throughout the country.