Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has suggested legalising marijuana, a psychoactive drug, in India for medical purposes on the lines of the practice adopted by some developed countries like the US to curb drug abuse.
The suggestion was made by Gandhi at a meeting of a group of ministers (GOM), which examined the draft cabinet note National Drug Demand Reduction Policy, according to the minutes of the second meeting.
The GoM approved the draft national policy with minor modifications suggested in the meeting.
Gandhi informed that in “some of the developed countries like the US, marijuana has been legalised which ultimately results in less drug abuse”.She said that “the possibility of the same maybe explored in India”, as per the document.
When asked to elaborate, Gandhi said that “marijuana should be legalised for medical purposes, especially as it serves a purpose in cancer”.
