Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Marijuana is still illegal across Nepal, but one of its provinces has decided it’s time for a rethink. Gandaki province has allowed cultivation and medical use of cannabis, which is a major policy shift in the Himalayan nation that shares a border with India.
Notably, Gandaki province shares a small border with Bihar’s West Champaran district at Valmikinagar. Bihar is a dry state, where the sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited.
advertisement
The legislation came into effect after receiving the assent of the province’s chief earlier this week, making Gandaki the first province in the country to carve out such an exception, reported news agency AP.
The move is notable because Nepal’s national law still prohibits the cultivation, possession and use of marijuana. Yet the provincial legislation allows licenced cultivation for medical purposes under strict government oversight.
Farmers seeking to grow cannabis will have to obtain official permission from provincial authorities, and their cultivation activities will be closely monitored, according to AP. The law is aimed at regulating medical use rather than opening the door to recreational consumption.
Gandaki, one of Nepal’s seven provinces, is home to some of the country’s most popular trekking routes, Himalayan peaks and the tourist city of Pokhara. According to The Kathmandu Post, the legislation was passed unanimously by members of the provincial assembly from both the ruling coalition and opposition parties, indicating rare cross-party support for the measure.
The provincial law also stands out because it directly contrasts with Nepal’s national narcotics law. Under existing national rules, possession of marijuana for personal use can attract up to one month’s imprisonment. Those convicted of selling or distributing cannabis can face prison terms of up to 10 years, depending on the quantity involved, AP reported.
With prohibition enforced in Bihar, people have resorted to sukha nasha (non-alcoholic substance abuse). What remains to be seen is how the legalisation of marijuana in Gandaki impacts Bihar.
CANNABIS PART OF NEPAL’S SOCIAL, CULTURAL LIFE
Despite these restrictions, cannabis has long been part of Nepal’s social, cultural and religious life.
The plant is native to Nepal and has historically grown in abundance across the Himalayan nation. It continues to feature prominently during religious festivals, especially the annual Shivaratri celebrations dedicated to Lord Shiva. During the festival, devotees openly smoke marijuana at temples, and authorities have traditionally turned a blind eye to the practice, AP reported.
For decades, activists have argued that Nepal should revisit its cannabis laws, pointing to the plant’s historical significance as well as its potential medicinal and economic value.
Nepal’s relationship with marijuana, however, has not always been restrictive.
Until the 1970s, cannabis was deeply embedded in the country’s culture and was openly sold and consumed. But in the late 1970s, Nepal joined several other countries in outlawing marijuana, shutting down its legal trade and expelling many foreign hippies who had flocked to the country during that era, according to AP and DW.
WHAT IS THE LEGAL POSITION ON MARIJUANA IN INDIA?
India also follows a restrictive approach towards cannabis under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, which prohibits the production, possession, sale, purchase and transport of cannabis resin (charas) and flowering or fruiting tops (ganja), except for medical or scientific purposes under government authorisation.
However, the law does not treat the leaves and seeds of the cannabis plant as narcotic drugs, which is why preparations such as bhang remain legally permitted in several states under regulated conditions.
In recent years, India has also witnessed growing discussions around medical cannabis, with licenced research and certain cannabis-based medicinal products being allowed under regulatory approval.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
