Hemp cultivation in Himachal Pradesh for industrial and medicinal cultivation in Himachal Pradesh may soon see the light of day, as the Committee constituted to explore the possibility has recommended the same, as it tabled its report in the state Assembly on Friday.

The committee had been constituted by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Government to give legal status to hemp cultivation.

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As the report has recommended legal cultivation of hemp in the state, Sukhu presented the report of the committee in the Assembly.

This committee was formed under the chairmanship of Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi in which members of both Congress and BJP parties were included.

Giving detailed information on the report in the House, Negi said that the committee has suggested an amendment in Himachal Pradesh NDPS Rules 1989, to give legal status to hemp cultivation in the state.

He said that the climate and geographical conditions of Himachal Pradesh are favorable for hemp cultivation as hemp plants are found in wild form in almost every district of the state.

These are destroyed every year by law enforcement agencies because of their potential use in drug trafficking, he added.

The report states that the government can harness this untapped potential and benefit farmers by introducing hemp cultivation for non-narcotic sponsorship.

Negi further said that according to the study conducted by the committee, industrial hemp cultivation has the potential to reduce the amount of environmental carbon impact and it can be cultivated with little or no use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

He said that now hemp is a diverse plant which can be planted in large numbers, its stalks, seeds and leaves can be used to convert various construction materials, clothing, paper, food, furniture, cosmetics, health care products and biofuels.

“Attracting industries involved in hemp-related production will also increase the revenue resources of the state. Uttarakhand is the only state in the country where hemp is being cultivated legally for industrial use,” he said.

The Excise Department can be made the licensing and enforcement agency for the legal cultivation of hemp, he said.

The committee visited almost every district of the state and also talked to representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions, he informed.

Most of the representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions supported the industrial and medicinal cultivation of hemp and believed that this would not only strengthen the economy of the farmers but also provide an additional source of income to the state, he said, adding that employment would also increase.

The Chief Minister said that in order to give industrial status to hemp cultivation in the state, the committee will soon go on a foreign tour to study it.

He said that many countries are cultivating industrial and medicinal hemp on a large scale, for which it is the main source of income. He said that this committee was supposed to go on a foreign tour long ago but it got delayed due to the disaster.

Apart from Uttarakhand, this committee has also visited Jammu Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh, he added.