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23/09/22 22:43 PM IST

Uttarakhand becomes 1st state to grow 'industrial cannabis

In News 
  • Six years after Uttarakhand became the first state to allow cultivation of large-scale industrial hemp (cannabis sativa, which has low intoxication capacity and is used mainly for medicinal and industrial purposes), it has succeeded in making the first prototype of "standardised industrial hemp.
Hemp 
  • Marijuana (or hemp), part of the cannabis super-family, is illegal for commercial cultivation though it grows as weed in several parts of the country. Uttarakhand, Jammu and — recently Uttar Pradesh — have allowed restricted cultivation of the plant for medical research.
  • The Marijuana has two components CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol ).
  • CBD does not cause intoxication or euphoria and has been successfully proven to provide relief to chronic pain without causing psychoactive side effects.
  • It is THC which is the primary psychoactive components of Marijuana.
Legality of cannabis 
  • In 1985, India banned the cultivation of cannabis plant under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. But this Act allows state governments to allow controlled and regulated cultivation of hemp for obtaining its fibre and seed for industrial or horticultural purposes.
  • In 2018, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to do so, allowing the cultivation of only those strains of cannabis plant which have a low concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis that produces a high sensation.
  • Uttar Pradesh followed a similar policy, while Madhya Pradesh and Manipur are reportedly considering it as well.
Source- Times of India 

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