Before Recent War On Marijuana, Ramdev's Patanjali & Several Ministers Wanted It Legalised

The clamour for legalisation of marijuana had grown manifold over the recent years. But a suicide of an actor and an alleged drug use has put the humble plant in bad light again.

The alleged use of drugs by Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty and her reported boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput, who died by suicide, has diverted the nation's attention to weed from other burning issues such as COVID, falling economy and the failing government.

The case reopened the raging debate on legalising marijuana in the country.

Many were quick to say that it is unfair to arrest someone based on laws which took shape due to western influence. Marijuana was legal in India until 1985.

Calls for legalisation of marijuana and its by-products have been around for many years. A 2019 Union social justice ministry report says a phenomenal 1.3 crore people use cannabis in its illegal forms (ganja and charas) ¨C apart from 2.2 crore users for bhang, which is legal.

Legalise marijuana and end the hypocrisy

In 2015, Lok Sabha MP Tathagat Satpathy started a Reddit Ask Me Anything platform and first criticized the ban on cannabis as ¡°elitist¡± and as ¡°an Indian overreaction to the scare created in the world by the United States of America¡±.

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2016 Private Member's Bill tabled

In 2016, Lok Sabha MP Dharmvir Gandhi tabled a Private Member¡¯s Bill for legalised supply of opium, marijuana that sought to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act).

The same year, Romesh Bhattacharji, former Commissioner of Central Bureau of Narcotics - the agency behind Rhea's arrest - said, "¡°This needs to be debated in the face of such stiff ignorance which often takes root in the moral high grounds people take after being influenced by the UN conventions. This law [NDPS Act] has been victimising people since 1985¡å.

In 2017, BJP minister Maneka Gandhi had suggested legalising marijuana, a psychoactive drug, in India for medical purposes on the lines of the practice adopted by some developed countries like the US to curb drug abuse.

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Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurveda also batted for legalisation of marijuana.

In an interview, Balakrishna, Ramdev loyalist said, "In Ayurveda, since ancient times, parts of cannabis (hemp), for instance, have been used for medicinal purposes. So, we are looking at various formulations. We should ponder over the benefits and positive uses of the cannabis plant".

Marijuana, a plant native to the country, has ancient roots in India. Its oldest known usage and mention goes as far back as 2000 BC in ancient texts and Vedas.

Presently, bhang, a byproduct of cannabis, is sold legally at government shops and consumed during festivals like Holi and Mahashivratri.