Thailand has officially legalized the growing and consumption of marijuana in food and drinks, becoming the first Asian country to do so.

Films like ‘Udta Punjab’ have graphically portrayed the crisis faced by the society and its youth with regard to the drug menace.

What is Marijuana?

• Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used primarily for medical or recreational purposes.
• The main psychoactive component of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD).
• It is used by smoking, vaporizing, within the food, or as an extract.

Prospects of legalizing Marijuana

(1) Health benefits

• The cannabinoids found in Cannabis is a great healer and has found mention in the Ayurveda.
• It can be used to treat a number of medical conditions like multiple sclerosis, arthritis, epilepsy, insomnia, HIV/AIDS treatment, cancer.

(2) Ecological benefits

• The cannabis plant and seeds apart from being labeled a ‘super-foods’ as per studies is also a super-industrial carbon negative raw material.
• Each part of the plant can be used for some industry. Hemp currently is also being used to make bio-fuel, bio-plastics and even construction material in certain countries. The cosmetic industry has also embraced Hemp seeds.

 (3) Marijuana is addiction-free

• An epidemiological study showed that only 9%  of those who use marijuana end up being clinically dependent on it.
• The ‘comparable rates’ for tobacco, alcohol and cocaine stood at 32%, 15% and 16% respectively.

(4) Good source of Revenue

• By legalizing and taxing marijuana, the government will stand to earn huge amounts of revenue that will otherwise go to the Italian and Israeli drug cartels.
• In an open letter to US President George Bush, around 500 economists, led by Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman, called for marijuana to be “legal but taxed and regulated like other goods”.

(5) A potential cash crop

• The cannabis plant is something natural to India, especially the northern hilly regions. It has the potential of becoming a cash crop for poor marginal farmers.
• If proper research is done and the cultivation of marijuana encouraged at an official level, it can gradually become a source of income for poor people with small landholdings.

(6) Prohibition was ineffective

• In India, the consumption of synthetic drugs like cocaine has increased since marijuana was banned, while it has decreased in the US since it was legalized in certain states.
• Moreover, these days, it is pretty easy to buy marijuana in India and its consumption is widespread among the youth. So it is fair to say that prohibition has failed to curb the ‘problem’.

 (7) Marijuana is less harmful

• Marijuana consumption was never regarded as a socially deviant behaviour any more than drinking alcohol was. In fact, keeping it legal was considered as an ‘enlightened view’.
• It is now medically proven that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.

Risks of Legalizing Cannabis

(1) Health risks continue to persist

• There are many misconceptions about cannabis. First, it is 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 of the substance, persistent cognitive deficits, and of mental health problems like schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.
• Exposure to cannabis in adolescence can alter brain development.

(2) A new ‘tobacco’ under casualization

• A second myth is that if cannabis is legalized and regulated, its harms can be minimized.
• With legalization comes commercialization. Cannabis is often incorrectly advertised as being “natural” and “healthier than alcohol and tobacco”.
• Tobacco, too, was initially touted as a natural and harmless plant that had been “safely” used in religious ceremonies for centuries.

(3) Unconvincing Advocacy

• Advocates for legalization rarely make a convincing case. To hear some supporters tell it, the drug cures all diseases while promoting creativity, open-mindedness, moral progression.
• Too much trivialization of Cannabis use could lead to its mass cultivation and a silent economy wreaking havoc through a new culture of substance abuse in India.

Way forward

• For Cannabis/ Marijuana, it’s important to make a distinction between legalization, decriminalization and commercialization.
• We must ensure that there are enough protections for children, the young, and those with severe mental illnesses, who are most vulnerable to its effects.
• Hence, laws should be made to suit people so that they do not break the law to maintain their lifestyle.
• Laws should weave around an existing lifestyle, not obstruct it. Or else laws will be broken.

Conclusion

• The debate on the legalization of marijuana in India has been consistent on social media and other noted platforms.
• As with alcohol and tobacco products, the use of cannabis needs to be regulated, taxed and monitored.

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