Should
Marijuana Be Legalized in India?
Marijuana, a drug of considerable conflict
in India, is additionally known to be highly circulated within the
country, despite the laws within the country, has declared its
dealing, usage, trading, and consumption as illegal.
A herb, or a drug, whatever one may like better to ask it as
(there are audiences divided over this throughout the planet - but it
really is merely a matter of perspective), has various other
names also, and these names are all documented round
the world - be it weed, pot, ganja, and a huge number of other
slangs, and even pot (if you favor the classic touch for
the name). It looks more sort of a herb and is
essentially a greenish-grey mixture of dried flowers. These dried flowers
are of plant marijuana.
Several legislations throughout the planet had been drafted
so on make the consumption, trade, and sale and buy of
marijuana in their respective jurisdictions illegal. However, the scenario has
changed in these countries, and an increasingly aware society is
now starting to rebel against the established norms and is striving
their best to form the use of marijuana in their countries legal.
Well, who wouldn't? There are several countries where exists simultaneously a law that permits the consumption of marijuana for recreational
purposes. Several examples exist. And what's worth
pondering immediately isn't where marijuana is legal or is how
the battle round the world for the legalization of marijuana is
faring.
Commercialization could be dangerous.
There is a growing movement in the West to
legalize cannabis, with rumblings of the same in India. I urge India to
carefully weigh the risks and benefits of cannabis before blindly following
suit with the West.
In India, cannabis, also referred to as bhang, ganja, charas, or
hashish is usually eaten (bhang golis, thandai, pakoras, lassi,
etc.) or smoked (chillum or cigarette). Its potency depends on the content of
its principal active constituent, tetrahydrocannabinol, though cannabis contains
more than 500 other chemicals. In India, there's a practice of
using cannabis in many spiritual contexts. But although Ayurvedic
texts ask cannabis as a treatment for several
maladies, what's often overlooked is that it's categorized
as Upavisha Varga (sub poisonous), and its recreational use has been described
as toxic.
Busting myths.
There are many misconceptions about cannabis. First, it's not
accurate that cannabis is harmless. Its immediate effects include impairments
in memory and in mental processes, including ones that are critical for
driving. Long-term use of cannabis may lead to the development of addiction to
the substance, persistent cognitive deficits, and mental health problems like
schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Exposure to cannabis in adolescence can
alter brain development.
A second myth is that if cannabis is legalized and controlled, its
harms are often minimized. With legalization comes commercialization.
This comes at a price which we've seen with tobacco and
alcohol over the last century. The morbidity and mortality related
to tobacco and alcohol rank amongst the highest 10 in terms
of the worldwide disease burden. Tobacco, too, was initially touted
as a natural and harmless plant that had been “safely” utilized
in South American religious ceremonies for hundreds of years. The
tobacco industry invented cigarettes for ease of use, altered the acidity of
tobacco to make it less harsh, added other chemicals to improve its taste,
mass-produced cigarettes, and sold them using sophisticated advertising. It
manipulated knowledge about the adverse effects of tobacco despite
being conscious of these effects, and successfully staved off legal
battles for many years. No amount of taxation of the tobacco industry can
compensate for the health toll on billions of tobacco users over the last
century. Despite knowledge of the risks of smoking, cigarettes remain legal and
the tobacco industry continues to thrive. This also highlights the
purpose that when out, the genie can't be replaced in
the bottle.
It’s important to make a distinction between legalization, decriminalization,
and commercialization. While legalization and decriminalization are mostly used
in a legal context, commercialization relates to the business side of things.
The goal of commercialization is to sell the maximum
amount of the merchandise, and therefore the cannabis
industry is steadily growing within the U.S. In fact, as the sale of
tobacco products has shown signs of a decline in the West, some tobacco
companies have entered the cannabis market. Altria, the maker of Marlboro
cigarettes, has invested $1.8 billion (₹12,400 crores) within
the cannabis grower Cronos Group. These commercial entities will bring
their wealth of experience navigating the law, their successful marketing,
their well-oiled lobbying, and deep pockets to influence the government to
maximize profit and minimize risk to their commercial enterprise. In the U.S.,
cannabis is being incorrectly advertised as being “natural” and “healthier than
alcohol and tobacco”. Commercial entities also understand that targeting the
young assures them, lifelong customers. A new array of cannabis
products within the sort of ice creams, sweets, and even
soft-drinks are getting available. The West also says that legalizing
and regulating cannabis will “undermine criminal markets”. Congress MP Shashi
Tharoor echoed this view last year. Yet, as we have seen in Colorado, the black
market has only increased.
Considering alternatives.
In 1961, driven by Western nations, the UN-sponsored a
world treaty to ban the assembly and provide of
medicine including cannabis. India resisted and negotiated exceptions,
loopholes, and deferrals. It is ironic that the West is now legalizing cannabis
and other drugs. Given that some in India are clamoring for an equivalent,
the country should carefully consider all the risks, and consider alternatives.
One, it could decriminalize cannabis but forbid commercialization.
Two, if India were to liberalize its
policy on cannabis, it should ensure that there are enough protections for
children, the young, and those with severe mental illnesses, who are most
vulnerable to its effects. Finally, treatments for those
that become hooked on cannabis should be offered.
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