Lawmaker in India Calls for Cannabis Legalization

India’s Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi suggested legalizing cannabis in India at a recent government meeting on drug policy. Lawmakers in India can’t help but notice the positive progress that’s happening in the United States because of cannabis legalization.

Gandhi made the suggestion at a meeting of a group of ministers (GOM) as they examined the draft cabinet note National Drug Demand Reduction Policy. In India, cannabis consumption and unauthorized production are illegal under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

The 60-year-old is taking cues from American states that have legalized cannabis. “(In) some of the developed countries like the U.S., marijuana has been legalized, which ultimately results in less drug abuse,” Gandhi said at the meeting. “The possibility of the same may be explored in India.” Uttarakhand became the first state in India to legalize cannabis cultivation in 2015. Cannabis consumption is also legal in the Indian cities of Jaipur and Varanasi and in the state of Orissa.

Several attempts have already been made to legalize cannabis in India. In 2015, Lok Sabha MP Tathagata Satpathy admitted that he had smoked cannabis and called for legalization. Last November, Parliament member Dharamvir Ganhi introduced a bill to legalize cannabis and other “soft drugs.”

Cannabis sativa is praised in at least two of India’s and Hindu’s holiest texts, the Rigveda and Atharvaveda. In addition, the use of bhang and charas (resin) has been documented for thousands of years in India. The most expensive hash in the world, Malana Cream, comes from India, and sells by the tola, or 11.66 grams, for $250 in Amsterdam. Because the plant has held such reverence in India’s history, it’s not surprising that the nation is taking steps to legalize cannabis.

Currently the punishment for cannabis possession could lead to six months in jail plus a fine of 10,000 Rupees. Illegal production and cultivation carries more serious repercussions. India has be cautious about legalizing or decriminalizing drugs in the past because of its low literacy rates, among other reasons.