News:2025-01-24/Policy/himachal-pradesh-cabinet-approves-pilot-study-into-cannabis-cultivation-for-medicinal-and-industrial-use

24 January 2025

Policy

India·Himachal Pradesh·· (Western Himalayas)

Himachal Pradesh cabinet approves pilot study into cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use

On 24 January 2025 the Himachal Pradesh cabinet, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, approved a pilot study into the feasibility of cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use. The study was assigned jointly to Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University at Palampur in Kangra district and Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture at Nauni in Solan district, with the state Agriculture Department as the nodal agency. The decision endorsed a committee report, chaired by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi and earlier passed by the Himachal Vidhan Sabha, that recommended controlled cultivation for industrial, scientific and medicinal purposes. Cannabis was farmed for fibre and food from locally saved seed, known as bijo, until the mid 1990s, when stricter enforcement and a 2000 eradication drive, in which police destroyed an estimated 80 per cent of the crop around Khalwahan in Mandi district, ended the practice. Sant Ram, a former village head in Mandi district, welcomed the pilot but urged that traditional local cannabis seed be preserved for its cultural and economic value. Reported by Bhagirath for Down to Earth on 28 January 2025.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/agriculture/himachal-pradesh-launches-pilot-project-for-cannabis-farming-to-capitalise-its-medicinal-and-industrial-value Source

2025-01-24 Policy Himachal Pradesh cabinet approves pilot study into cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use On 24 January 2025 the Himachal Pradesh cabinet, led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, approved a pilot study into the feasibility of cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use. The study was assigned jointly to Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University at Palampur in Kangra district and Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture at Nauni in Solan district, with the state Agriculture Department as the nodal agency. The decision endorsed a committee report, chaired by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi and earlier passed by the Himachal Vidhan Sabha, that recommended controlled cultivation for industrial, scientific and medicinal purposes. Cannabis was farmed for fibre and food from locally saved seed, known as bijo, until the mid 1990s, when stricter enforcement and a 2000 eradication drive, in which police destroyed an estimated 80 per cent of the crop around Khalwahan in Mandi district, ended the practice. Sant Ram, a former village head in Mandi district, welcomed the pilot but urged that traditional local cannabis seed be preserved for its cultural and economic value. Reported by Bhagirath for Down to Earth on 28 January 2025. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/agriculture/himachal-pradesh-launches-pilot-project-for-cannabis-farming-to-capitalise-its-medicinal-and-industrial-value India Himachal Pradesh Western Himalayas