There are several logical arguments to be made about why marijuana and products derived from the plant, colloquially known as ganja, should be legalised in India. For one, the draconian Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was only brought in 1985 by the Rajiv Gandhi administration as the then First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan, was leading a “war on drugs” and India was trying to sidle up to the US. The inclusion of marijuana products was a surprise, given the plant’s long history of usage in India from ancient times but the NDPS was rarely enforced against small, private users and it is a common joke how easily ganja and resin-based products are available across the country. That all changed with the Sushant Singh Rajput case where the Narcotics Control Board went after his girlfriend Rhea Chkaraborty with what would be considered a comical use of the NDPS Act. However, as all this was going on, there appeared to be a growing clamour to change the NDPS by a whole host of organisations and think-tanks in India. Some, like the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, issued a white paper on the subject. The points being raised usually come under law enforcement, arguing that police resources, already strained in India, would be better utilised in tackling high-end drug crimes rather than going after small-time peddlers and private marijuana smokers. However, it might be more radical to consider legalisation of marijuana for another reason, that of riding the major agricultural technology and product development wave. As more and more countries in the Western world legalise marijuana, including many large US States, there is not only demand for the active ingredients of the plant but also major opportunities in the product sphere. In the US, a few companies have become billion-dollar entities selling marijuana products. Cultivation of the plant has led to major innovations in “Ag-Tech” that are now being used for other commercial crops. The rapid development of hydroponics was mainly thanks to marijuana.

There are many reasons why India should legalise marijuana, not just because it will prevent the incarceration of innocent people but because we can accelerate technology and innovate around a plant that is part of our botanical heritage. Why should foreign companies be allowed to create “Big Weed” when India should have the first rights?

There are several logical arguments to be made about why marijuana and products derived from the plant, colloquially known as ganja, should be legalised in India. For one, the draconian Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was only brought in 1985 by the Rajiv Gandhi administration as the then First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan, was leading a “war on drugs” and India was trying to sidle up to the US. The inclusion of marijuana products was a surprise, given the plant’s long history of usage in India from ancient times but the NDPS was rarely enforced against small, private users and it is a common joke how easily ganja and resin-based products are available across the country. That all changed with the Sushant Singh Rajput case where the Narcotics Control Board went after his girlfriend Rhea Chkaraborty with what would be considered a comical use of the NDPS Act. However, as all this was going on, there appeared to be a growing clamour to change the NDPS by a whole host of organisations and think-tanks in India. Some, like the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, issued a white paper on the subject. The points being raised usually come under law enforcement, arguing that police resources, already strained in India, would be better utilised in tackling high-end drug crimes rather than going after small-time peddlers and private marijuana smokers. However, it might be more radical to consider legalisation of marijuana for another reason, that of riding the major agricultural technology and product development wave. As more and more countries in the Western world legalise marijuana, including many large US States, there is not only demand for the active ingredients of the plant but also major opportunities in the product sphere. In the US, a few companies have become billion-dollar entities selling marijuana products. Cultivation of the plant has led to major innovations in “Ag-Tech” that are now being used for other commercial crops. The rapid development of hydroponics was mainly thanks to marijuana.

There are many reasons why India should legalise marijuana, not just because it will prevent the incarceration of innocent people but because we can accelerate technology and innovate around a plant that is part of our botanical heritage. Why should foreign companies be allowed to create “Big Weed” when India should have the first rights?