While smoking marijuana for recreational purposes is prohibited in India, smoking ‘weed’ is very common. Cannabis has anyway been consumed in India for spiritual, medicinal, and recreational purposes for centuries, reported MoneyControl.
Drug laws and substance abuse in India
There are two laws:
- The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985
- Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1988
NDPS Act: It prohibits the cultivation, production, possession, sale, purchase, trade, import, export, use and consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances except for medical and scientific purposes, in accordance with the law.
Cannabis: Is a narcotic drug. Using its plant resin (charas) and its concentrated variant hashish or the dried flowering or fruiting tops, called ganja, or any mixture of ganja or charas, is prohibited in India, said the report.
Punishment: From fines to imprisonment.
India’s policy on drugs, what is banned?
- The use of charas, both crude and purified
- Concentrated preparations and the resin known as hashish oil or liquid hash
- Ganja, the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant
- The consumption of any mixture, with or without any neutral material, of any of the above forms of cannabis or any drink prepared therefrom
Cannabis products allowed in India
- Its leaves and seeds are allowed in some states
- Cannabis cultivation for industrial purposes, including production of hemp, or for horticultural use
- It is also a source of biomass, fibre, and high-value oil
- The consumption of cannabis in the form of bhang (the seeds and leaves) is legal in most Indian states during some festivals
Punishment for the possession of illegal drugs in India
Rigorous imprisonment for 10 years to 20 years and a fine between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh.
