- The stringent Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985, commonly referred to as the NDPS Act, is an act of the Parliament of India that prohibits a person to produce, manufacture, cultivate, possess, sell, purchase, transport, store, and/or consume any narcotic drug or psychotropic substances. Under this act, cannabis and its various forms viz, hashish, ganja, and charas are banned, and their possession is deemed to be unlawful.
PC: indian express
- Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant primarily used for medical or recreational purposes. Interestingly, bhang is the only preparation of cannabis that is not covered in the NDPS Act, and hence, is beyond the purview of the Act. The NDPS Act enacted in 1985 is 35 years old that came into existence owing to the US-driven war against drug crime that was most widely prevalent in some infamous Latin American countries back then.
- For the benefit of the uninitiated, there exist historical pieces of evidence of several centuries, if not millennium, of Indians consuming the cannabis products right from our scriptures, texts, epics, and the ilk elaborately describing the substance use for medicinal as well as recreational purposes. There is any number of fables, legends, and extensive reportage of the cannabis substances’ being part of the everyday routine without inviting censure/ban corroborating society’s wilful acceptances since yore.
PC: news worldpress
- As per the 2019 Union Social Justice Ministry report, there are no less than 1.3 crore people using cannabis in its illegal forms i.e. ganja and charas, other than 2.2 crore users of bhang, which is legally allowed. Kindly note that in the many North Indian States, especially Hindi heartlands, there are no festivities or for that matter celebration that goes without the wholesome and fulsome use of bhang for recreational purposes. Just imagine the colour of festivals – Holi – fully resplendent with bhang flowing freely, is one such instance.
- Come to think of it, the many US States and a few other countries have already legalized the usage of marijuana for personal consumption, but India continues to shun the same. Banning cannabis usage has turned out to be counterproductive and failing to act as deterrence going by the whopping quantity being produced. One estimate suggests that four lakh KGs of ganja were seized in 2018, not for illegal trafficking or production. As a fallout, more than 60 percent of cases reported were for personal use choking the overburdened police and courts with cannabis cases.
PC: guwahatiplus
- Therefore, there is a definite case for reconsideration of the ban on cannabis in line with the present-day necessities and introduce measures to legalize the usage of marijuana with an all-encompassing regulation in place. Such a move would allow the precious revenue generation in these hard times as also ensuring restoration of age-old traditional cultures and practices too. Merits serious thinking on the part of the policymakers on this aspect.
