A country that has nothing but a traditional approach towards bhang, a drink made out of cannabis leaf but bans marijuana is a great contradiction. A bhang commonly consumed during the festival of Holi is given cultural significance. While the government has strict norms against the production of marijuana, one politician has expressed the need for legalising it. The production can help in the economic boost for the country believes Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP for Thiruvananthapuram. Some countries around the world including Canada, Uruguay, and several US states have regulated the drug production and he believes that we must take notice. Tharoor wrote a column in The Print, expressing his views on the legalisation of marijuana.

He has addressed his concern with the help of his nephew Avinash Tharoor, who has been working on drug policy issues. In India, the prohibition of cannabis came in from 1985 with the introduction of The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. But even before that, it was illegal for two decades when the government signed the UN’s Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs treaty in 1961. He points out to the treaty and its goal, the Single Convention refers to the drug addiction as “a serious evil for the individual [that] is fraught with social and economic danger to mankind”. This very phrasing emphasised on the production of cannabis internationally and it rather fuelled more black-market violence across the world.

While talking about the need to legalise he highlighted the harmful effects of marijuana. He stressed that adolescents who use it may develop mental health problems. People can also feel nauseous lethargic, forgetful, anxious, or confused. And he thus stressed that we would have to regulate the drug and thus control those who have been illegally providing it anyway. "Rather than leaving the trade of cannabis in the hands of an unregulated criminal market, the drug should be safely produced by competent farmers, packaged and tested in suitable facilities, and sold by reputable and licensed vendors," he says.

He stressed on how the crimes are increasing with the existence of the drug black market. Those who are selling the hashish today may not even know the strength of the THC- the main element which gives the 'high' but claim it is the fresh and best nevertheless. Regulation will  make it compulsory for the seller to know what they are selling and where it is coming from. He says, "Regulation is not only beneficial for people who want to use cannabis safely; it also enhances security for all of society, as it helps undermine criminal markets. Due to the drug’s illegality, cannabis sales currently line the pockets of various characters in a vast criminal underworld, some of whom may be committing far more nefarious crimes."

Prohibiting the drug only allows in organised crime situation with many profits for those who are involved. He says legalisation of the sale for higher tax revenues. It will bring a positive boost to the economy. In the US state of Colorado, where cannabis has been legal for four years, there was over $1.5 billion worth of sales in 2017 (incidentally, Colorado’s population is just 0.4 per cent that of India’s). The cannabis regulation would also create job opportunities from farm to the factories.

India will prove a progressive leap with the legalisation of the drug. He pointed out how one of the main cannabis species is in fact named after the Indian subcontinent. Tracing history he states, "Cannabis is referred to in ancient Indian historic and religious texts, in accounts by Portuguese visitors and British invaders, and continues to be used in Hindu rituals across the country – most commonly in bhang form." He continues how cannabis prohibition has failed even in other countries and only led to more crimes and health harms. He ends it with, "It’s high time for India to embrace the health, business, and broader societal benefits that legally regulating cannabis can bring."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2018 03:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).