Shimla, Sep 6: The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution accepting the high committee report which recommended controlled cultivation of cannabis for non-narcotic purposes.
The report was laid in the House by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi who chaired the committee.
Negi said the committee visited different districts of the state and interacted with public representatives to elicit their opinion. It also visited the neighbouring states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh to study about cannabis cultivation and submitted the report which has been adopted unanimously by the House, he said.
Negi said the industrial hemp is drug-free and can be produced through the state and hundreds of products are being produced from hemp.
“We have suggested standard operation procedure for growing medicinal plant with intoxicant in controlled area which would help generate as the plant needs less water, has fewer diseases and is not eaten by animals,” he said.
The seeds with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC which is an intoxicant) less than 0.3 per cent could be used for cannabis cultivation for industrial use while cannabis cultivation for medicinal use could be done in a close environment under surveillance, the minister had earlier said.
Cannabis is a diverse plant which can be grown on a large scale and its stem, seeds and leaves can be converted into construction material, cloth, paper, food, furniture, cosmetics, health care and bio-fuel, which would add to the resources of the state, he said.
