Himachal Pradesh, with just 68 Assembly seats is a small but complex state, where elections take tough turns. Most of the constituencies which have around 50,000- 70,000 voters and a few thousand votes can change the entire equation and hence each of the issues become of utmost importance as the state enters into polls, be it cannabis legalisation or the Agnipath scheme.
Cannabis: An important part of lives of Himachalis
Cannabis used to be a useful part of the Himachali household. Ayurvedic practitioners use the plant for medicinal purposes. A chutney made from ‘bhang seeds’ was a winter speciality because of its ability to keep children and elderly warm in the freezing winter that the hilly state faces. Further, plant fibres were used to make slippers and rope. The seeds of the plant can be used for making paint, ink and bio-fuel.
With the advent of tourists in the late 70s and 80s, the region became a destination for backpackers for American and European hippies. Cannabis travelled from a plant being grown in the backyard of Himachali home to the go to thing for drug peddlers. This is what led to the Indian government outlawing cannabis in 1985 and gradually the plant faded from the kitchen gardens of Himachali households.
The Apple story and the need for alternative
For the ones unversed, Himachal single handedly produces roughly a third of apples, the entire India produces. The region’s prosperity in fact came from apples, and it is estimated that the apple industry is of about Rs 5000 crore. One acre of apple brings between Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh. However, apple farming is very lucrative, it is a driver of deforestation. The income from apple has declined overtime owing to weather vagaries and the farmers in the hill state have been looking for alternative remunerative crops. Farmers believe that selective poppy and cannabis cultivation can enhance prosperity in the state.
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The demand to legalise Cannabis
In 1985, India had banned the cultivation of cannabis plants under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. However, the same act states that the state governments allow controlled and regulated cultivation of hemp for obtaining its fibre and seed for industrial or horticultural purposes. In 2018, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to allow the cultivation of only those strains of cannabis plant which have a low concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis that produces a high sensation.
In the current times, over 60 per cent of the poppy and cannabis produced in Himachal illegally is smuggled to European nations. Locals believe that legalisation of cannabis cultivation will curb the menace of illegal cultivation and trade. It is often advocated that the allowed cultivation would help the rural economy of the state. Major section of farmers in Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Shimla districts have been asking the political parties to legalise cannabis cultivation in the state.
Cannabis: An election issue in Himachal
Many lawmakers have been vocal about legalising Cannabis cultivation in the state and once again it has become an election issue in the state. It is not a new issue; it was one of the burning issues in the last assembly election as well. Back then, every party promised to legalise cannabis cultivation in the state. The incumbent BJP deliberated and even attempted to frame a policy in order to legalise the production, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur had himself said in March last year. He had said that he himself is in favour of bringing such a legislation and had emphasised on how geographical location and climate of Himachal Pradesh is largely suitable for cannabis cultivation.
However, both apple and cannabis are a double-edged sword for the hill state. On one-fold, cannabis appears to be a plant enhancing financial prospects of 3,00,000 families and the state’s economy, on the other it appears of the potential that can destroy the youth. It would be interesting to watch what the parties promise this time and for whom the Kullu-Chamba belt votes, because the initial surveys suggest an edge to the BJP, a party in favour of legalising cannabis cultivation in the state.
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