Want (Medicinal) Weed? Manipur Govt May Legalise Cannabis

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh hopes to boost his state’s revenue by legalising cannabis for medicinal use.

(Illustration: Susnata Paul/The Quint)

According to a new report, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced on Saturday, 21 September, that he hoped to legalise cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes.

A report in The Indian Express added that during a conference for ‘Start-Up Manipur’ Singh hoped that his innovative idea could boost the state’s revenue. Start-Up Manipur aims to provide schemes to SC, ST, OBC, Minority entrepreneurs in Manipur.

Singh told The Indian Express that since cannabis grows “in the wild abundantly,” t could be used for its hemp oil and “medicinal property.” He stressed the revenue-boosting opportunities in this.

Not the First Indian State to Legalise Cannabis

Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have already legalised the plant for medicinal uses, and Singh urged people to consider the opportunity in Manipur as well.

He added that his government had helped increase the state’s economic growth and predicted that Manipur would be deemed an ‘advanced state’ if it continues on this trajectory.

As reported in an earlier FIT article, cannabis in India falls under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and possession and consumption of the substance can lead to jail term. However, the plant is sacred in Ayurveda and is finding growing international recognition for its medicinal properties.