After Supporting Vote To Remove Some Controls On Cannabis, Will India Legalise It In Country?
On Wednesday, India joined 26 other countries to vote in favour of removing cannabis and cannabis resin from the list of most dangerous substances.
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the?1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs?¡ª where it was listed alongside deadly, addictive opioids, including heroin.?
The CND¡¯s 53 Member States voted to removed cannabis ¨C where it had been placed for 59 years ¨C from the strictest control schedules, that even discouraged its use for medical purposes.??
With an historic vote of 27 in favour, 25 against, and one abstention, the CND has opened the door to recognizing the medicinal and therapeutic potential of the commonly-used but still largely illegal recreational drug.??
Moreover, according to news reports, the decision could also drive additional scientific research into the plant¡¯s long-heralded medicinal properties and act as catalyst for countries to legalize the drug for medicinal use, and reconsider laws on its recreational use.?
The United States and EU countries and India had supported the proposal, while Russia, China, Japan, Singapore, Iran, Pakistan, Chile and Nigeria were among those who had opposed it.
India voted in favour of removing cannabis from the list of most dangerous substances at a time when the Narcotics Control Bureau is involved in some high-profile incidents involving the use and possession of marijuana.?
Those recently arrested by the NCB include actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother, comedian Bharti Singh and her husband.
Under India¡¯s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, and use of cannabis is a punishable offence.
However, there has been a growing call in India from various corners to legalise the use of Marijuana.
In 2017, the then Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi had suggested that marijuana should be legalised in India.
"Marijuana should be legalised for medical purposes, especially as it serves a purpose in cancer," she had said.
In 2018, Yoga guru Ramdev-backed FMCG company Patanjali's CEO Acharya Balkrishna had supported the call to legalise it.
