Of late there has been a lot of hullabaloo about legalising the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal use with the political class taking potshots against each other on the vexed issue. It speaks volumes that the file on the subject was vetted by the Law Department. It may be noteworthy to recall that the Ayush Ministry had pitched for the legalisation of marijuana way back in 2019 and presently the Raw Cannabis Tincture (CBD) is marketed by Ayush as a medicinal supplement for the management of chronic pain like arthritis and osteoporosis under doctors’ prescription following an online consultation. Canada, South Africa and the US have already legalised its use and the weed is also grown in some of our northern states. With this in mind as a proactive measure, the government had proposed to legalise its use for mitigating pain-related ailments.
The genesis of the drug culture in Goa can be traced back to the arrival of the Hippies in the 1960s when they first discovered virgin beaches and went high on LSD and other psychotropic drugs. Coming back to marijuana, the government will do well to review its decision of a blanket ban on the cultivation of marijuana in the larger interest of those people who are beset with chronic pain. The surplus weed cultivated could be given to the AYUSH Ministry for processing as a medicinal resource as the present rate charged by them for CBD tincture is exorbitantly high. This proactive step will go a long way in breaking the chain of the unholy nexus between the police, politician and drug peddlers.
