The different avatars of marijuana: Villain in India, medicine elsewhere

Hyderabad:  Too much of anything, and misuse of even good things, can have a negative impact. And that is why the Telangana State Police is intensifying its crackdown on marijuana, banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 in India, but used as a drug for different diseases in some parts of the […]

Hyderabad:  Too much of anything, and misuse of even good things, can have a negative impact. And that is why the Telangana State Police is intensifying its crackdown on marijuana, banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 in India, but used as a drug for different diseases in some parts of the world.  

Marijuana, which in some countries is used to treat depression, diseases like glaucoma and even cancer, became a villain in India because drug peddlers chose to mint money from the plant, making people addicted to it and making the overuse of the drug trigger negative effects in youngsters, many of whom began taking to crime to obtain the drug and under its influence as well. 

But where marijuana is not banned, marijuana has a different life. 

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a severe eye disease that occurs due to increased pressure in the eye. This pressure damages the optic nerve resulting in the loss of vision. Some countries use marijuana to bring down this pressure, thus slowing down the disease and preventing blindness.

Anxiety & Depression

Medical marijuana is said to help suppress nausea and relieve pain. 

According to a research paper by Washington State University, Department of Psychology, it was found that medical cannabis users witnessed a 50 percent reduction in depression and 58 percent reduction in anxiety and stress post cannabis intake.

Cancer

Yes! That is right. There are several scientific studies which claim that cannabis can fight cancer. Marijuana has compounds called cannabinoids, which can at least fight against certain types of cancers, given the large family of cancer types.

Arthritis

Cannabis is said to be an ideal painkiller which can be used to relieve the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. According to a study, the usage of marijuana by patients with rheumatoid arthritis has resulted in reducing pain, decreasing rate of inflammation, more sleep etc. 

Prevents Diabetes

Marijuana is also used to prevent and control diabetes. As per a survey, there is a link between marijuana and Type 2 diabetes. The compound named tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in marijuana may help in regulating insulin in the body.

The Villain in India

Even as all these sides are there, what made marijuana taboo in India was the addiction, and the mental and health problems such addiction caused. Marijuana can make the heart beat faster and blood pressure higher after it is taken, which may lead to increased risk of heart stroke and other heart diseases.

With drug peddlers expanding their network and targeting students too, the dangers increased manifold, with many lives getting affected, and in turn, prompting crackdowns like those in Telangana a necessity. 

The NDPS Act is the main weapon for the government with the Act prohibiting production/manufacturing/cultivation, possession, sale, purchasing, transport, storage, and/or consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance, including marijuana and its variants.

As for punishment, it usually depends upon the quantity of the drug involved. The punishment is different for small quantities and commercial quantities of the drug. 

In the case of cannabis, there are separate charges invoked against the one cultivating, possessing, selling, purchasing, transporting, importing, exporting or using cannabis. The punishment may extend up 20 years and shall also be liable to a fine of Rs.1 lakh.

Under the Act, abetment and criminal conspiracy and even an attempt to commit an offence under the Act attracts the same punishment as the offence itself. Preparation to commit an offence attracts half the penalty. Repeat offences attract one and half times the penalty and in some cases even the death penalty.

Marijuana, charas and cousins according to the NDPS Act:

• Charas is the separated resin obtained from the cannabis plant and the resin is known as hashish or liquid hashish.  

• Ganja is the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops).

• Cannabis plant means any plant of the genus cannabis.