The organization “Great Legislation India Movement Trust” today asks the Supreme Court of Delhi for the legalization of hemp
Indeed, the Supreme Court of Delhi listens today, July 29, 2019, the petition raised by the organization “Great Legislation India Movement Trust” to change the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) of 1985 and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Rules, which prohibit and penalize the use of hemp in India.
The organization alleges that the legislation violates articles 14, 19, 21, 25 and 29 of the Constitution. During today’s hearing, the Supreme Court will be pressured to ask the Department of Revenue as the NDPS Act is a product of the Ministry of Finance.
Previously, the courts had already been used to decriminalize the use of the plant. In 2015, the Bombay Supreme Court dismissed a lawyer trying to decriminalize cannabis use and cultivation. And more recently, a petition was filed in the Superior Court of the state of Himachal Pradesh to eliminate restrictions on the cultivation, processing and use of industrial and medical hemp in the state.
Previously, the courts had already been used to decriminalize the use of the plant. In 2015, the Bombay Supreme Court dismissed a lawyer trying to decriminalize cannabis use and cultivation. And more recently, a petition was filed in the Superior Court of the state of Himachal Pradesh to eliminate restrictions on the cultivation, processing and use of industrial and medical hemp in the state.
The organization “Great Legislation India Movement Trust” is a legally registered entity that has always been at the forefront of the movement to decriminalize the use of cannabis and convince political powers regarding its medicinal, industrial, ecological, economic and other benefits.
The organization argues that the legal treatment of cannabis in general, and of hemp in particular, is arbitrary, lacking scientific evidence and completely irrational. Based on scientific research reports, the organization has highlighted the medicinal properties of cannabis, insisting that the medicinal use of the plant can help reduce the serious health crisis that has become an endemic problem in India.
Arguing along these lines, the organization insists that medical cannabis is useful in the treatment of cancer and provides relief to patients affected by HIV. The level of relief that cannabis provides would be of great help to the thousands of cancer patients who die each year. In addition, around 82,000 cases of HIV infection are detected every year in India. He also states that cannabis is a highly effective pain reliever to relieve chronic pain, improving the motor disability of people with Parkinson’s disease. For these reasons the organization today proposes the decriminalization of hemp.
In case the medicinal properties of the plant were not sufficient argument for decriminalization, the organization also argues about the industrial potential of the plant ensuring that hemp is an agricultural product cultivated for its possibilities in the production of a wide range of products, including fiber boards and furniture, food and beverages, cosmetics and personal care products, nutritional supplements, fabrics and textiles, threads and fibers, paper, building and insulation materials, bioplastics, biofuels, graphene technology and other manufactured products.
This article is likely to generate an unrealistic idea of the cannabis situation in India. Previously we have already published an article with the name “Cannabis in India” in which we explain in depth the social and religious aspects of cannabis in this country.
Because in fact,cannabis is the most consumed substance in India as it is considered a sacred plant for Hinduism, the religion that professes almost 90% of the population. Therefore, although, officially, cannabis is an illegal substance, the reality is that there is no problem to consume and buy it. In fact, there are many stores called “Ganja shop” in which you can buy ganja (marijuana) without any problem.
However, India is a country very similar to the United States in its political and constitutional plot. There is a federal government and numerous state governments that govern in the different states that make up the nation. Unfortunately, cannabis is federally banned, although its use is accepted in all states as part of the Hindu idiosyncrasy.
But the fact that cannabis is a federally prohibited substance prevents the economic flow that production could have. It is impossible for a hemp grower to access bank loans and discount lines, which is a shame since the country has many states in which the climate is perfect for growing cannabis, both for recreational and medicinal use.
For this reason, today’s petition before the Supreme Court to legalize hemp is of great socioeconomic importance.
