Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi on Thursday requested the Centre to allow the Punjab’s farmers to cultivate opium under “controlled supervision” of the State Government.
Gandhi submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in this regard, and pointed that Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had once said that in case the Centre gives a green signal for the cultivation of opium and selling of opium and opium husk through Government shops, Punjab Government can think upon the same.
“Practically implying Chief Minister's words, I met Rajnath Singh today and discussed with him the grave problem of drugs in Punjab along with its solutions in detailed manner. Home Minister said that our vision on the drug menace with its solution has full substance and with the usage of natural drugs, the problem would not have become such grave,” Gandhi said after the meeting.
He said that the Union Minister maintained that in case the Punjab Government makes a case and send it over, the Central Government would think upon it “very seriously”.
“Now, the ball is in the court of Punjab Government. And, Capt Amarinder Singh, who always talks about youth and farmers, now need to make a call,” said Gandhi.
Dr Gandhi, in his memorandum, stated that the demand was made after talking to many experts from both the fields of medicine and agriculture concluding that the controlled cultivation of opium can help the dying youth because of “medical, synthetic and very toxic chemical nasha and farmers committing suicide because of mounting debt”.
Citing the cases of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and six others states where permission of controlled cultivation of opium has been granted, Dr Gandhi pointed that Uttarakhand has recently allowed the controlled cultivation of commercial marijuana.