While India is taking its own time to allow the cultivation of cannabis (marijuana) in the country, experts including scientists have raised a chorus calling for legalising it as is being done by many developed nations to reap the benefits of the growing medicinal and industrial green herb market.
Currently, Uttarakhand is the only State in the country to have legalised the cultivation and production of hemp (a variety of marijuana) for industrial purposes.
On Friday, scientists from CSIR labs such as J&K based-Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) and Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology in Palampur (HP) besides senior doctors from premier health and research institutes like AIIMS, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and experts from Narcotics Control Bureau among others will be holding a brain storming session here to deliberate and establish an action plan to cash in on the potential future opportunities of the cannabis.
The event "Cannabis R&D in India: A Scientific, Medical & Legal Perspective" has been organised by the Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO), a first startup in India to study the medical and industrial use of cannabis in partnership with the CSIR and the CSIR -IIIM .
Ram Vishwakarma, Director of the Jammu-based IIIM, which has obtained commercial licence from the State Government to grow cannabis at its research station, said that they are already in talk with NITI Aayog and the Drug Controller General of India's office for a suitable policy to legalise cannabis cultivation and for research into its medicinal use. "Cannabis-derived API (active pharmaceutical industry) alone has a $23 billion export possibility from India. In future, India could be a large supplier to the world for CBD-derived API," he added.
For its clinical trial, the CSIR-IIIM is in touch with all reputed cancer hospitals in the country to test the drugs on terminal patients. "We expect to have results for regulatory approvals in a year or two before we can release our research for commercial exploitation," said Vishwakarma.
Sanjay Kumar, Director, CSIR-IHBT too said that the herb serves as a major painkiller for the patients suffering with cancer third stage. Apart from many medicinal and industrial benefits, the plants can also provide livelihood to the farmers. "It is eco-friendly, need less water, does not attract pests and animals like monkeys, its bio-product can be used for fuel purpose. Given its enormous benefits, it's high time that the government come out from the myth and doubts surrounding this plant. We need to focus on the variety with is less narcotic," Dr Kumar said.
Jahan Peston Jamas,Co-founder, BOHECO said: "The cannabis plant is a victim of misperception despite being an integral part of Indian culture. For thousands of years, it has been a trusted ingredient in the treatment of various ailments.
"Yet cannabis is mired in ambiguity when it comes to its application in modern healthcare. Till now, there has been limited debate in India on the medicinal, legal and scientific aspects of using cannabis-derived products as medicine," he said.