PANAJI
The Law Department on Tuesday granted in-principle approval to the proposed cannabis plantation for medical purposes. The file has been returned to the Health Department and the final decision on the matter is expected to be taken by the state cabinet.
It was learnt that the proposal has been originally moved by the Excise Department through the Health Department.
Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed that there is indeed such a proposal and that although a file to this effect had been moved to the government, the approval has not been granted yet.
Cornered over the allegations levelled by Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai about the government’s plan to begin cultivation of marijuana as a medicinal plant to treat cancer, CM Sawant said, “There is a proposal. But that does not mean that we have given approval. It is for the government to take the decision. Many such plans are proposed to the government but it doesn’t mean they all get approval. Most are never approved.”
CM Sawant, however, did not respond to Sardesai’s demand to know if the government will be in a position to assure that the cannabis would be used exclusively for medicinal purposes.
The Law Department is believed to have vetted the proposal on the basis of the fact that several other states already grow marijuana for medicinal purposes with the Health Department acting as the nodal agency overseeing the cultivation and sale to various pharmaceutical agencies.
Though the Central Government has yet to legalize the cultivation of cannabis, state governments are empowered to grant licenses to cultivate cannabis for certain specific purposes such as for medicinal use, research purpose or for use in industrial products.
Among the recent states to permit the legal farming of hemp was Madhya Pradesh, which now cultivates the plant for medicinal and industrial purposes. Prior to this, in 2017, Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to allow cultivation of hemp and Uttar Pradesh began issuing permissions soon after. In these states, farmers have to seek a licence from the Excise Department to grow this plant. As recently as in February this year, the BJP government in Manipur had also disclosed its intentions of taking steps to this effect.
Outside this paradigm, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985 terms the trade and consumption of both cannabis resin (charas) and the bud (ganja) as illegal. Anyone found in illegal possession of such substances stands to face up to 20 years imprisonment.
However, considering the usages of the plant mentioned in ancient medicinal texts, India recently supported the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) to reclassify cannabis and to eliminate it from the ‘most strict’ drug control list. On December 2, the 53 member states of CND voted to remove cannabis from the Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it was listed alongside specific deadly, addictive opioids, including heroin, for almost 59 years. Although the use of this drug will continue to remain illegal for non-medical and non-scientific purposes, the CND has now recognized its medicinal and therapeutic potential. Currently, cannabis is used in a handful of countries to treat medical conditions such as chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, pain, sleep disorders and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.
