Need for legalization of marijuana in India.

 The unintelligible involvement of cannabis in schedule I

It wouldn’t be untrue to say that the marijuana prohibition had racist origins. Harry Anslinger, the then commissioner of the federal bureau of narcotics of the US, made unscientific claims saying, marijuana is a violence-inducing drug and blamed the surge in cannabis usage on the Black and Hispanic communities. These allegations took over the American media like wildfire. Highlighting the word marijuana instead of cannabis, the American media created a strong connection between the plant and the newly arrived Mexican immigrants. With all the bad press and political criticism surrounding cannabis, in the 1970s, under Richard Nixon’s presidency, the Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) enlisted marijuana as a schedule I substance alongside heroin, ecstasy, and LSD. Schedule I implies, “the substance has no acceptable medical use and has a high potential for abuse.”  Even though the use of cannabis was prevalent pretty much everywhere, the Black and the Hispanics were significantly more likely to get arrested. 

Unlike any other country, cannabis or ganja had been the way of life in India, both socially and religiously. But only until the year 1985. During the 1980s the US was campaigning for a global law against all drugs. During these times India desperately needed the United States as an ally. Having no other alternative, the Indian government outlawed cannabis consumption under the US’s pressure and passed the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances act in the year 1985.

The science of Cannabis

Cannabis embodies two main chemical components, THC(TetraHydroCannabinol) and CBD(Cannabidiol). THC, the agonist, binds to a receptor and makes it produce a biological response aka “high”. CBD, being the antagonist, blocks the action of THC. Research has shown that it is possible to produce cannabis with varying proportions of THC and CBD, i.e, high THC strains, balanced THC and CBD strains, high CBD strains.

Alcohol, Cannabis, and Tobacco

Two of the most lethal drugs that are neither scheduled nor made illegal, “Tobacco and Alcohol” Out of 8 million people that get succumbed to the aftermath of tobacco abuse, a colossal 12.5%, i.e., 1 million are Indians. Making tobacco the leading cause of death in India. 2,60,000 people suffocate and die from alcohol strangulation every year in India while 3 million die worldwide. So, why aren’t alcohol and tobacco prohibited from using you ask Because combined, they generate a gargantuan 3 trillion rupees to the Indian government every year. We know for sure tobacco consumption causes Lung cancer, Oral cancer, CardioVascular diseases, and at least 10 more types of cancer. We also know for sure that alcohol consumption causes liver diseases, heart diseases, cancer, peripheral nerve disease, and a lot more. Even though they are extremely dangerous, nobody is seriously proposing to prohibit them.

source: World Health Organization

Allegedly, the consumption of excess marijuana usage is said to cause impaired cognitive development, impaired psychomotor performance, and impaired fetal development when used during pregnancy. But, the studies that support these allegations are outdated and inconclusive. In recent times, with countries moving towards marijuana legalization or medical marijuana legalization, cancer patients who consume cannabis find themselves with reduced nausea and increased appetite helping them get through chemotherapy. Studies show cannabis can be used as an anti-depressant, it can help reduce anxiety attacks, it can help people suffering from PTSD and the list goes on.

Source: medicalmarijuana.org

Need for marijuana legalization in India

Despite being illegal, Delhi is the world’s 3rd most cannabis consumer with Mumbai standing 6th on that list. This displays the fact that no matter how strict the rules are, it will not be impossible to find someone selling a  few grams of pot for a few bucks. Most importantly, the criminalization of marijuana is what makes it easy for the underaged to find and consume it. This could be destructive to children’s well being because there is not enough research to show what the long-term effects are on children consuming marijuana. 

Source; statista.com

Portugal, the first country to decriminalize all drugs, treated drug addicts as chronic patients, and instead of locking them up, they were sent to rehabs. This so-called “Portugal’s drug strategy” has shown a significant reduction in drug usage and deaths due to drug overdose.

The only solution to the underage-marijuana problem is to legalize marijuana. It is often more difficult for kids to buy legal drugs than illegal ones because the sellers could be paying a heavy fine and even lose their license for selling it to the underaged. Also, legalization does not necessarily mean endorsing cannabis, It means the government taking responsibility for the risks it poses, exercising control over cannabis mainly when it comes to the underaged. Legalizing marijuana also opens doors for tons of research and also seizes drug dealers from exploiting the underaged.

All things considered, “The blatant suppression of abundant medical benefits that can be obtained by cannabis in the view of the fact that the origin of the outlaw had racist roots, it is utterly unjust for it to be illegal and requires a thoroughly studied and researched reform backed by scientific evidence.” Thank you for reading.

P.S. Don’t want to be a buzzkill here. I enjoy drinking too. But the evidence, you cannot run away from it.

References:

• Ethan B. Russo; CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY – Vol. 4 (2007); History of Cannabis and Its Preparations in Saga, Science, and Sobriquet

• Willy Pedersen, Torbjorn Skardhamar; Cannabis, and crime: findings from a longitudinal study; Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo and Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research; Doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02719.x

• Leslie Iversen; Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Cannabis and the brain; DOI: 10.1093/brain/awg143; April 2003

• Jose´ Alexandre Crippa, Antonio Waldo Zuardi, Rocio Martı´n-Santos, Sagnik Bhattacharyya, Zerrin Atakan, Philip McGuire2, and Paolo Fusar-Poli; Cannabis and anxiety: a critical review of the evidence; Human Pharmacology; DOI: 10.1002/hup.1048

• Alan C. Ogbome, Ph.D., Reginald G. Smart, Ph.D., Timothy Weber, B .A. & Carol Birchmore-Timney, M.A.; Who is Using Cannabis as a Medicine and Why: An Exploratory Study.

• J. THOMAS UNGERLEIDER, MD, THERESE ANDRYSIAK, RN, LYNN FAIRBANKS, Ph.D., JAMES GOODNIGHT, MD, GREGORY SARNA, MD, AND KAY JAMISON, Ph.D.; Cannabis and Cancer Chemotherapy; American Cancer Society

• www.Who.int

• www.business-standard.com

• www.statista.com