Should marijuana be legalised in India?

The current status of marijuana in India is defined as an illicit drug because if smoked and inhaled in high dosage, it results in psychological or physical side effects. Marijuana is just a plant whose production helps in generating many useful products for our daily survival. Why should the government ban marijuana when it is aware of the fact that its production helps in the manufacture of many useful products. Eventually, there are states whose income depends on the cultivation of cannabis. Keeping in mind the original uses of marijuana, it is believed that marijuana should be legalized in India.

Schedule 1 (Class 1) drugs are illegal in India as they have high abuse potential, no medical use, and severe safety concerns; for example, narcotics such as Heroin, LSD, and cocaine. Marijuana is also included as a Class 1 drug despite it being legal in some states and it is used as a medicinal drug in some states. Use of bhang and charas was legal in India, but the US had been forcing India to put a banned on their production marijuana since 1961. Finally, in 1985, the Indian government passed the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and put a ban on the production and sale of cannabis resin and flowers. However, the government permitted the use of leaves and seeds allowing the states to regulate it accordingly.

When it comes to customary usage of cannabis, the first thing which clicks our mind is Lord Shiva. The festival of Maha Shivratri is celebrated by offering cannabis to Lord Shiva. The festival makes consumption of Bhang acceptable as it is stated in the Hindu scriptures that bhang is used to purify the elixir of life Lord Shiva which he created from his body. Therefore, marijuana was completely legal in the historical period, and there was no policing done to its usage.

Positive aspects of Marijuana:

Weight loss:

According to a 2011 by the American Journal of Medicine, fatness is lower in those people who use cannabis in comparison to nonusers. In animal tests, the drug additionally had an effect on the amount of fat within the body as well as its response to internal secretion. Cannabis compounds were shown to lift metabolism in rats, resulting in lower levels of fat in the liver and lower cholesterol. Human trials are being conducted to seek out a drug targeting obesity-related diseases.

Medical Usage:

Weed and medical science share an old connection with each other. It’s prescribed to cancer patients when they undergo chemotherapy. According to a study in the UK, it has been found that marijuana can stop metastasis in some aggressive cancer. Researchers also say that using marijuana can kill cancer cells in leukemia patients. It’s also useful in curing AIDS, lowered intraocular eye pressure, as well as general analgesic effects.

Psychoactive Drug:

It falls in the group of anti-depressants, hallucinogens, giving relief to the person from all sort of pain for few hours. Marijuana is a mixture of all these properties making it most hunted after. THC is naturally considered as the key component of the cannabis plant; various scientific studies have suggested that certain other cannabinoids like CBD may also play a major role in its psychoactive effects. 

Less Addictive:

As per the study conducted by National Institute of Drug Abuse on the relative addictiveness of few substances namely cannabis, caffeine, cocaine, alcohol, heroin and nicotine. Weed was ranked the least addictive and caffeine the second least addictive.

Migraines:

Cannabis has anti-inflammatory properties which help in providing relief to the patient. In fact, the effects are said to be a “thousand times more effective than that of aspirin.” Doctors in California have treated more than 3, 00,000 or more than that migraine cases with the use of medical marijuana. It has resulted in effective treatment of a host of illnesses and conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer diseases.

Socio-economic benefits of marijuana 

The help of local people:

In states like Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where cannabis plants grow, and marijuana is the only source of income for many locals. However, being a banned substance, the farmers are forced to sell it at a very low price to the drug dealers, and they face additional pressure from the police, who are paid to destroy the cannabis plantations. Legalizing marijuana will end this ‘war on drugs’ targeting our countrymen.

Growth in GDP:

Legalizing of Marijuana will lead to a rise in the growth of GDP. Imposing tax on selling of marijuana will anyway help in keeping a control over its production, and it would be a help to the Indian economy. Such Marijuana in Netherland contributes $3.2 billion with an annual gross.

Prohibition is failed to curb the production of marijuana as states like Himachal Pradesh completely depend on the production of marijuana. They have no other source income except this. So why not legalize it, as legalizing marijuana will create job opportunities for many people.

Legalizing will ensure that marijuana is distributed in good quality to consumers.

Hence, we can conclude that legalizing marijuana will anyway save time and efforts of the government. If marijuana is provided in a limited quantity, it will help in lessening its consumption. Marijuana is comparatively less destructive than other serious drugs such as heroin, cocaine, LSD, ayahuasca, etc. Studies also say that most of the time consumption of drugs leads to aggressive violence whereas marijuana works giving relief and calm to the senses.