![Ganja Smoking - Gangasagar Fair Transit Camp - Kolkata 2013-01-12 2646](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Ganja_Smoking_-_Gangasagar_Fair_Transit_Camp_-_Kolkata_2013-01-12_2646.JPG)
Cannabis in India has been known to be used at least as early as 2000 BCE. In Indian society, common terms for
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
preparations include
charas
Charas is a cannabis concentrate made from the resin of a live cannabis plant (''Cannabis sativa'' either '' ''Indica' subspecies or ''Sativa'' subspecies) and is handmade in the Indian subcontinent and Jamaica. The plant grows wild througho ...
(resin),
ganja
Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: aːɲd ...
(flower), and
bhang
Bhang (IAST: ''Bhāṅg'') is an edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant originating from the Indian subcontinent. It has been used in food and drink as early as 1000 BC in ancient India. Bhang is traditionally distribu ...
(seeds and leaves), with Indian drinks such as
bhang lassi and
bhang thandai made from bhang being one of the most common legal uses.
As of 2000, per the
UNODC
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC; French: ''Office des Nations unies contre la drogue et le crime'') is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the ...
the "prevalence of usage" of cannabis in India was 3.2%. A 2019 study conducted by the
All India Institutes of Medical Sciences
The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Government of India. These institutes ha ...
reported that about 7.2 million Indians had consumed cannabis within the past year. The
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India ministry. It is responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society, including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backwar ...
's "Magnitude of Substance Use in India 2019" survey found that 2.83% of Indians aged 10–75 years (or 31 million people) were current users of cannabis products. According to the UNODC's World Drug report 2016, the retail price of cannabis in India was per gram, the lowest of any country in the world. A study by the German data firm ABCD found that New Delhi and Mumbai were the third and sixth largest cannabis consuming cities in the world in 2018, consuming 38.2 tonnes and 32.4 tonnes of cannabis respectively.
History
Antiquity
![Bhang eaters before two huts (6124556163)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Bhang_eaters_before_two_huts_%286124556163%29.jpg)
''Bhanga'' is mentioned in several Indian texts dated before 1000 CE. However, there is philological debate among Sanskrit scholars as to whether this ''bhanga'' can be identified with modern ''bhang'' or cannabis.
''
Cannabis sativa
''Cannabis sativa'' is an annual Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plant indigenous to East Asia, Eastern Asia, but now of cosmopolitan distribution due to widespread cultivation. It has been cultivated throughout recorded history, used as ...
'' is one of the candidates for the
identity of the plant that was used to prepare
soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
in
Vedic period
The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca. 1300–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, betw ...
. Soma was an intoxicating ritual drink that is highly praised in the ''
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...
'' (c. 1700–1100 BCE).
''
Atharvaveda
The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...
'' (c. 1500–1000 BCE) mentions ''bhanga'' as one of the five sacred plants that relieve anxiety.
Sayana interpreted ''bhanga'' as a type of wild grass, but many scholars identify ''bhanga'' with cannabis.
The relevant verse:
''
Sushruta Samhita
The ''Sushruta Samhita'' (सुश्रुतसंहिता, IAST: ''Suśrutasaṃhitā'', literally "Suśruta's Compendium") is an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery, and one of the most important such treatises on this subj ...
'' (c. 600 BCE) again mentions ''bhanga'', as a medicinal plant, and recommends it for treating
catarrh
Catarrh is an exudate of inflamed mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body, usually with reference to the throat and paranasal sinuses. It can result in a thick exudate of mucus and white blood cells caused by the swelling o ...
,
phlegm
Phlegm (; , ''phlégma'', "inflammation", "humour caused by heat") is mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that produced by the nasal passages. It often refers to respiratory mucus expelled by coughing, otherwise known as sputum ...
and
diarrhea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...
.
According to
Gerrit Jan Meulenbeld
Gerrit Jan Meulenbeld (28 May 1928 - March 26, 2017) was a physician-scholar who taught and published major works of research in Indology. He specialized in the history of Indian medicine (Ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine syst ...
and Dominik Wujastyk, ''Chikitsa-sara-sangraha'' (c. late 11th century) by Vangasena is the earliest extant Indian text that features an uncontested mention of cannabis. It mentions ''bhanga'' as an appetiser and a digestive, and suggests it in two recipes for a long and happy life. Narayan Sarma's ''Dhanvantariya Nighantu'', a contemporary text, mentions a narcotic of the plant.
Nagarjuna's ''Yogaratnamala'' (c. 12th–13th century) suggests that cannabis (''mdtuldni'') smoke can be used to make one's enemies feel possessed by spirits. ''Sharngadhara Samhita'' (13th century) also gives medicinal uses of cannabis, and along with ''ahiphena'' (
opium poppy
''Papaver somniferum'', commonly known as the opium poppy or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is the species of plant from which both opium and poppy seeds are derived and is also a valuable ornamen ...
), mentions it as one of the drugs which act very quickly in the body.
Cannabis also finds its mention in other historic scriptures like ''Dhanvantari Nighantu'', ''Sarngandhara Samhita'' and ''Kayyadeva Nighantu''. It is also referred in
Ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...
as an ingredient in various recipes of pain relievers and aphrodisiacs, but in small quantities. Ayurveda however does not use cannabis for smoking recipes.
The Hindu god
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
is said to have chosen cannabis as his favorite food, after having spent one night sleeping under the plant's leaves and when eating of it in the morning refreshed him. Another legend suggests that when the poison
Halahala
Halāhala ( Sanskrit हलाहल) or kālakūṭa ( Sanskrit कालकूटं, literally: 'black mass' or 'time puzzle') is the name of a poison in Hindu mythology. It was created from the Ocean of Milk when the devas and the asuras chu ...
came out from the
Samudra manthan
The Samudra Manthana ( sa, समुद्रमन्थन; ) is a major episode in Hinduism that is elaborated in the Vishnu Purana, a major text of Hinduism. The Samudra Manthana explains the origin of the elixir of eternal life, amrita.
Nom ...
, Shiva drank it to protect everyone from it. Later, ''bhang'' was used to cool him down.
Shiva Purana
The ''Shiva Purana'' is one of eighteen major texts of the ''Purana'' genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism, and part of the Shaivism literature corpus. It primarily revolves around the Hindu god Shiva and goddess Parvati, but references and reve ...
suggests offering ''bhang'' to Shiva during the summer months. But not all devotees offer ''bhang'' to Shiva.
Many
Ayurvedic
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...
texts mention cannabis as ''vijaya'', while
tantric texts mention it as ''samvid''.
Colonial India
Portuguese India
Following the Portuguese seizure of
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
in 1510, the Portuguese became familiar with the cannabis customs and trade in India.
Garcia de Orta
Garcia de Orta (or Garcia d'Orta) (1501 – 1568) was a Sephardic Jewish physician, herbalist and naturalist of the Portuguese Renaissance, who worked primarily in the former Portuguese capital of Goa and the Bombay territory (Chaul, Bassein & Da ...
, a botanist and doctor, wrote about the uses of cannabis in his 1534 work ''Colloquies on the Simples and Drugs and Medicinal Matters of India and of a Few Fruits''. Garcia noted that bhang was used to improve work and appetite and enable labour, and "I believe that it is so generally used and by such a number of people that there is no mystery about it.”
Fifteen years later
Cristobal Acosta produced the work ''A Tract about the Drugs and Medicines of the East Indies'', outlining recipes for bhang.
British India
![Indian Hemp Drugs Comission 1894](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Indian_Hemp_Drugs_Comission_1894.jpg)
The
British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
enacted a tax on bhang, ganja and charas in 1798, stating that the tax was intended to reduce cannabis consumption "''for the sake of the natives' good health and sanity''". In 1894, the
British Indian
British Indians are citizens of the United Kingdom (UK) whose ancestral roots are from India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian origin as well as Indians who have migrated to the UK. Today, Indians comprise about 1.4 mil ...
government completed a wide-ranging study of cannabis in India. The report's findings stated:
Modern use
![Process of making bhang in Punjab, India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Process_of_making_bhang_in_Punjab%2C_India.jpg)
As
bhang
Bhang (IAST: ''Bhāṅg'') is an edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant originating from the Indian subcontinent. It has been used in food and drink as early as 1000 BC in ancient India. Bhang is traditionally distribu ...
, cannabis is still popular in India.
It is also mixed in
thandai
Thandai is an Indian cold drink prepared with a mixture of almonds, fennel seeds, watermelon kernels, rose petals, pepper, poppy seeds, cardamom, saffron, milk and sugar. It is native to India and is often associated with the Maha Shivaratri an ...
, a milkshake-like preparation. Bhang is consumed as
prasad
200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad
Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...
of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
, and is popular between
Mahashivaratri and
Holi
Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
(February–March). Among
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
Nihang
The Nihang or Akali (lit. "the immortals") is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihang are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "Akali" (lit. Army of the Immort ...
s, bhang is popular, especially during
Hola Mohalla
Hola Mohalla (Gurmukhi: ਹੋਲਾ-ਮਹੱਲਾ ''hōlā muhalā''), also called Hola, is a three-day long Sikh festival which normally falls in March. It takes place on the second day of the lunar month of Chett, a day after the Hindu sp ...
. Muslim
Indian Sufis
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
place the spirit of
Khidr
Al-Khidr () ( ar, ٱلْخَضِر, al-Khaḍir), also transcribed as al-Khadir, Khader, Khidr, Khizr, Khazer, Khadr, Khedher, Khizir, Khizar, is a figure described but not mentioned by name in the Quran as a righteous servant of God possessing g ...
within the cannabis plant, and consume bhang.
Even in
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, where cannabis has been explicitly banned since 1958, it is consumed by thousands during the
Ambubachi Mela
The Ambubachi Mela () is an annual Hindu mela (gathering) held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam. This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month '' Ahaar'', around the middle of Ju ...
. In 2015, the police did not stop devotees from consuming bhang, although they fined two people for smoking tobacco in public places, under the
Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act.
![Wild cannabis in Uttarakhand, India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Wild_cannabis_in_Uttarakhand%2C_India.jpg)
In November 2015,
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
legalized the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes. In June, 2016 Pillares EXIM LLP based out of Vapi, Gujarat took a step towards Cannnabis Legalization by launching HERBBOX as a one stop shop for smoking accessories in India.
Patanjali Ayurved
Patanjali Ayurved is an Indian multinational conglomerate holding company, based in Haridwar, India. It was founded by Ramdev and Balkrishna in 2006. Its office is in Delhi, with manufacturing units and headquarters in the industrial area of ...
CEO
Balkrishna
Balkrishna (known as Acharya Balkrishna, born 4 August 1972) is an Indian billionaire businessman and chairman of the consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved. He was reported by ''Forbes'' to have a net worth of billion . According to Ashi ...
stated in February 2018 that his company had begun researching the benefits of cannabis and its extracts at its research and development facility in
Haridwar
Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district.
The city is situated on the righ ...
, for use in the company's medicines and other products.
Madhya Pradesh's Law Minister,
P.C. Sharma stated on 20 November 2019 that the state was considering legalising the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes. Manipur Chief Minister
N. Biren Singh
Nongthombam Biren Singh ( Meitei pronunciation: /nōng-thōm-bam bī-ren sīng/; born 1 January 1961) is an Indian politician, former footballer and journalist, who is currently serving as the Chief Minister of Manipur for the second term sin ...
informed the State Assembly on 21 February 2020 that his government was considering legalising the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes.
Indian law enforcement agencies seized a total of 182,622 kg of ganja and 2,489 kg of hashish in 2016. Enforcement agencies eradicated 1,980 hectares of illicit cannabis cultivation in 2018, lower than the 3,446 hectares eradicated in 2017. The International Narcotics Control Board's 2019 annual report noted that "India is among those countries worldwide with the greatest extent of illicit cannabis cultivation and production.
The
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India ministry. It is responsible for welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society, including scheduled castes (SC), Other Backwar ...
's "Magnitude of Substance Use in India 2019" survey found that 2.83% of Indians aged 10–75 years (or 31 million people) were current users of cannabis products, with 10% of the population considered to be using cannabis "in a dependent pattern". The survey found that 20% of the population consumed bhang and 12%% consumed charas or ganja. It also noted that most cannabis users were male with 25% of the male population consuming cannabis and 10% of the female population. The survey found that cannabis use was most prevalent in Sikkim, where 7.3% of the population reported using cannabis, followed by Nagaland (4.7%), Odisha (4.7%) Arunachal Pradesh (4.2%) and Delhi (3.8%). The lowest cannabis use was reported in Puducherry, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, all of which recorded about 0.1% of the population as having used cannabis.
A study by the German data firm ABCD found that New Delhi and Mumbai were the third and sixth largest cannabis consuming cities in the world in 2018, consuming 38.2 tonnes and 32.4 tonnes of cannabis respectively.
There is some evidence that
Naxalites are invested in illegal production of Cannabis in some parts of India.
Legal status
Attempts at criminalising cannabis in British India were made, and mooted, in 1838, 1871, and 1877.
The 1961 international treaty
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (Single Convention, 1961 Convention, or C61) is an international treaty that controls activities (cultivation, production, supply, trade, transport) of specific narcotic drugs and lays down a syst ...
classed cannabis with hard drugs. During the negotiations, the Indian delegation opposed its intolerance to the social and religious customs of India. As a compromise, the Indian Government promised to limit the export of Indian hemp, and the final draft of the treaty defined cannabis as:
Bhang, which is prepared from leaves, was thus left out from the definition of "cannabis". This allowed India to carry on the tradition of large-scale consumption of bhang during Holi. The treaty also gave India 25 years to clamp down on recreational drugs. Towards the end of this exemption period, the Indian government passed the
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 1985.
The NDPS maintained the same definition of "cannabis", excluding bhang from its purview:
NDPS banned the production and sale of cannabis resin and flowers, but permitted the use of the leaves and seeds, allowing the states to regulate the latter.
Though the NDPS Act doesn't mention anything about Smoking paraphernalia, making it completely legal to buy or sell smoking accessories like Rolling Papers, Smoking Pipes, and more.
Cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes such as making industrial hemp or for horticultural use is legal in India. The National Policy on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances recognizes cannabis as a source of biomass, fiber, and high-value oil. The Government of India encourages the research and cultivation of cannabis with low THC content.
Indian government is strict with the Cannabis policy. According to Section 20 of the NDPS Act, holding a small quantity of weed can land you in jail for rigorous imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of Rs. 10,000 or both.
Regional laws on cannabis
![Woman selling Cannabis and Bhang in Guwahati, Assam, India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Woman_selling_Cannabis_and_Bhang_in_Guwahati%2C_Assam%2C_India.jpg)
Although NDPS allows consumption of bhang, various states have their own laws banning or restricting its use. In some states, only authorised dealers are allowed to sell bhang. Some states also have rules about the maximum amount of bhang one person can carry and the minimum age of the buyer.
In
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, ''The Assam Ganja and Bhang Prohibition Act, 1958'', prohibits sale, purchase, possession and consumption of ganja and bhang.
In
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, Section 66(1)(b) of the ''Bombay Prohibition (BP) Act, 1949'', bans manufacture, possession and consumption of bhang and bhang-containing substances without a license.
In
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
, ''The Karnataka Prohibition Act of 1961'' classifies ganja and bhang as "intoxicating drugs" and prohibits the manufacture, possession and consumption of the same with the exception for medicinal purposes.
On 21 February 2017,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
legalized bhang by removing it from the list of "intoxicating drugs" covered by section 23 of the ''Gujarat Prohibition Act''. Gujarat's Minister of State for Home and Prohibition,
Pradipsinh Jadeja
Pradipsinh Jadeja (born 11 June 1962) was the State Home Minister of Gujarat. He is Member of Legislative assembly from Vatva constituency in Gujarat for its 12th, 13th and 14th legislative assembly, serving since 2007.
He had served as a Home M ...
, explained, "Bhang is consumed only as prasad of Lord Shiva. The state government has received complaints of misuse of prohibition act against those found drinking bhang. Hence, keeping in view the sentiments of public at large, the government has decided to exempt bhang from the ambit of Gujarat Prohibition Amendment Act. Bhang is less intoxicating as compared to ganja."
Reform
In 2015, the first organised efforts to re-legalise cannabis in India appeared, with the holding of medical marijuana conferences in Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi by the
Great Legalisation Movement India
The Great Legalisation Movement India (GLM India) is a non-profit organisation working to legalise the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes in India. It was founded in November 2014 by Viki Vaurora. The social stigma associated wit ...
. Many articles and programs in the popular media have also begun to appear pushing for a change in cannabis laws.
In March 2015, Lok Sabha MP for
Dhenkanal Tathagata Satpathy
Tathagata Satpathy (born 1 April 1956) was a member of the 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Dhenkanal constituency of Odisha, and was re-elected for the fourth time in 2014. He was a member of the Biju Janata Da ...
stated on a
Reddit AMA
r/IAmA is a subreddit for question-and-answer interactive interviews termed "AMA" (short for "Ask Me Anything"). AMA interviewees have ranged from various celebrities to everyday people in several lines of work. Founded in May 2009, the subredd ...
that he supported the legalisation of cannabis, and also admitted to having consumed the drug on several occasions when he was in college. He later repeated his comments on television and during interactions with the media. On 2 November 2016, Lok Sabha MP
Dharamvir Gandhi
Dharamvir Gandhi (born 1 June 1951) is an Indian politician and was earlier a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He was a Member of Parliament from Patiala.
Career
During his college days, Gandhi was detained for a month in Amritsar, for prot ...
announced that he had received clearance from Parliament to table a Private Member's Bill seeking to amend the NDPS Act to allow for the legalised, regulated, and medically supervised supply of "non-synthetic" intoxicants including cannabis and opium.
In July 2017, Union
Minister of Women and Child Development
The Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens ( ne, महिला, बालबालिका तथा जेष्ठ नागरिक मन्त्रालय) is a governmental body of Nepal. Its mission is to empower women, chil ...
Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Sanjay Gandhi (also spelled Menaka; ''née'' Anand) (born 26 August 1956) is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. She is a member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament and a member of ...
suggested the legalization of medical marijuana on the grounds that it would reduce drug abuse and aid cancer patients at the second meeting of the group of ministers to examine the draft Cabinet note for the National Drug Demand Reduction Policy. About a week after the minister's statement, the Union Government issued the first-ever licence to grow cannabis for research purposes to the
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...
(CSIR), in collaboration with the Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO).
On 12 December 2017, Viki Vaurora, the founder of the
Great Legalisation Movement India
The Great Legalisation Movement India (GLM India) is a non-profit organisation working to legalise the use of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes in India. It was founded in November 2014 by Viki Vaurora. The social stigma associated wit ...
, penned an open letter to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
and all members of Parliament advocating the urgent need to legalise the cultivation of cannabis and hemp for medical and industrial use. In February 2018, the
Prime Minister's Office sent a notification to the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India.
The Minister of Health and Family Welfare ...
directing the ministry to examine the potential benefits associated with cannabis and issue a response to the letter.
On 5 June 2018, Lok Sabha MP from
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
Shashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor (; ; born 9 March 1956 in London, England ) is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat and politician, writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, ...
wrote an opinion piece expressing support for the legalization of cannabis, and concluding that it was "high time for India to embrace the health, business, and broader societal benefits that legally regulating cannabis can bring".
In July 2019, the
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi (IAST: ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966'', with four judges, Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. ...
agreed to hear a petition, filed by the Great Legalisation Movement Trust, challenging the ban on cannabis. The public interest litigation argues that grouping cannabis with other chemical drugs under the NDPS Act is "arbitrary, unscientific and unreasonable".
India voted in favour of removing cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the 1961
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (Single Convention, 1961 Convention, or C61) is an international treaty that controls activities (cultivation, production, supply, trade, transport) of specific narcotic drugs and lays down a syst ...
at the
United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is one of the functional commissions of the United Nations' Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and is the central drug policy-making body within the United Nations System. The CND also has important man ...
(CND) on 9 December 2020. The resolution was passed with 27 member countries voting in favour, 25 against, and one abstention.
''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' published an
editorial
An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, suc ...
on 7 December 2020 supporting the legalisation of cannabis, and calling for it to be regulated and taxed like alcohol and tobacco products.
In March 2021, the Chief Minister of
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
,
Jai Ram Thakur
Jai Ram Thakur (born 6 January 1965) is an Indian politician, and was the Chief Minister of the state of Himachal Pradesh from 2017 to 2022. He is a five-time MLA in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, winning continuously since 1998 an ...
, said that the state government is coming up with a policy to allow controlled cultivation of hemp or cannabis in the state. The motivation behind this change is reported to be to boost the local economy of Himachal Pradesh.
In March 2021, The State Government of
Tripura
Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...
announced it would form an expert panel to examine the viability of legalizing cannabis cultivation.
“''There is a limited scope of revenue collection in Tripura. We have to depend on the central government due to this. The soil of Tripura is very fertile for cannabis cultivation but since it is not legal, many people are suffering financially here. If ganja becomes legal, it can be regulated, revenue can be collected and many people involved in cultivating it, illegally till now, can benefit financially''”.
- BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
MLA Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl
Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl is a politician from Tripura, India. In 2013 assembly elections, he represented Karamcherra constituency in Unakoti district in Tripura Legislative Assembly.
In 2016, he was one of the six MLAs from Indian National Con ...
.
Medical research
The first medical cannabis clinic in India was opened in
Koramangala
Koramangala () is situated in the south-eastern part of Bengaluru, it is one of the largest neighborhoods, and is a residential locality with wide, tree-lined boulevards and a mix of commercial structures, and bungalows. Planned as a suburb pos ...
,
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
on 1 February 2020.
In popular culture
In film
Cannabis has often been depicted in
Indian cinema
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
. Historically, Hindi films have portrayed cannabis use negatively depicting the drug as being associated with an upper class hippie culture or as an intoxicating substance used by criminals. On the other hand, consumption of bhang was often celebrated in popular film songs such as ''Jai Jai Shiv Shankar'' and ''Khaike Paan Banaraswala'' and the famous track ''Manali trance''. The negative portrayals of cannabis began to undergo a change from the 2000s. Films such as ''
Shaitan
' (; ''devils'' or ''demons''), singular: (شَيْطَان) are evil spirits in Islam, inciting humans (and jinn) to sin by "whispering" (وَسْوَسَة, “waswasah”) to their qalb, hearts (قَلْب ''qalb''). Folklore suggests that t ...
'' (2011), ''
Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana
''Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language comedy film produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur and Anurag Kashyap and directed by debutante Sameer Sharma.
Plot
Omi Khurana's London dream has just ended. On the r ...
(2012)'', ''
Kapoor & Sons
''Kapoor & Sons'', also known as ''Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921)'', is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language family comedy drama film directed by Shakun Batra and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta under Dharma Productions, with Fo ...
'' and ''
The Blueberry Hunt
''The Blueberry Hunt'' is an Indian-Canadian thriller film directed by Anup Kurian and starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vipin Sharma, Aahana Kumra, PJ Unnikrishnan, Yadu Sankalia, Vinay Forrt, and Kartik Elangovan. The film had a nationwide theatrical ...
'' (2016) feature urban middle-class protagonists using cannabis as form of relaxation. ''
Go Goa Gone
''Go Goa Gone'' is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language zombie action comedy film directed by Raj and D.K. The film features Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari and Puja Gupta. It was released on 10 May 2013. Almost one third of the film ...
'' (2013) was described as the first Hindi-language
stoner comedy
Stoner film is a subgenre of comedy film that revolves around the Recreational drug use, recreational use of Cannabis (drug), cannabis. Generally, cannabis use is one of the main themes and inspires much of the plot. They are often representative ...
.
Bejoy Nambiar
Bejoy Nambiar (born 12 April 1979) is an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work in Bollywood. He is mostly known for his critically acclaimed short films, ''Rahu'' and ''Reflections (2005 film), Reflections'', starring Mohanl ...
, who wrote and directed ''Shaitan'', believes that "there's a culture of smoking up among today's youth and it's becoming more and more relevant in our movies."
Some movies such as ''
Gully Boy
''Gully Boy'' is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language Musical film#Indian musical films, musical drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar, and written by Akhtar and Reema Kagti. The film was produced by Ritesh Sidhwani, Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar under the ban ...
'' (2019) touch upon the illicit trade of Cannabis in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
.
References
Further reading
Primary Sources
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Secondary Sources
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{{Cannabis by country