A government proposal to legalise hemp cultivation in northern India put Hemp in the News this week.
In the state of Uttarakhand, the Excise Management System drafted a policy in favour of legalising hemp cultivation, specifically for industrial, medicinal and scientific use. It will be presented to the cabinet soon.
The proposal was spurred by chief minister Harish Rabat’s statement about legalising hemp.
It is believed that by legalising hemp cultivation, it would be easier to monitor illegal growing and use of cannabis plants. Recreational cannabis was made illegal in 1985, with Section 8 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. In Section 14, however, it states that the government can grow it for the production of fibre and seeds.
The excise commissioner D S Chauhan stated that fibre and seeds extracted from hemp plants could be a significant benefit to the state’s industry.
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