The year 2020 has thrown more surprises than any other. So when Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant admits that there exists a file that proposes the cultivation of the marijuana plant, it comes as a fitting end to the year that abounded with dollops of unexpected happenings. Sawant’s admission on the issue came following the Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai’s statement that such a file existed and that the government must look at cultivating good productive habits over vices. There was no denial from the government, instead there was an admission that yes, it was considering this.
The Chief Minister, in his admission, was very clear that while the file does exist, there has been no decision taken yet, and he went even further to say that he does not think the government will allow cannabis cultivation in Goa. But later in the day, the Law Department vetted the file, so is there time to take an informed decision on the matter? Or is it a done decision? As per information that has trickled out, the Health Department plans to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes and it will be sold directly to pharmaceutical companies.
Before any decision is taken, there are various aspects that need to be looked into. Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), the growth, production, sale and consumption of marijuana is illegal with fines and jail terms for consumption and growing. We have had marijuana being smuggled into Goa from other countries and also other States, and then in recent years there have been a number of raids by the Police Department that found the cannabis plant being illegally grown in the State, making Goa a producer of narcotics and not just a consumer.
There have been quite a few raids on cannabis growing in Goa. The last reported raid was in October this year, following a raid on a cannabis plantation at Gaudewada, Mandrem and the arrest of two Russians who were growing the cannabis plant in a flat they had rented after having created the environment for the proper growth of the plant with the use of tubelights, exhaust fans and other equipment. Prior to that too there were arrests, mainly of Russians who were caught growing cannabis in their rented homes in Goa. But now, should the growing of marijuana be made legal, the cops will have to move from sniffing out the illegal manufacture of narcotic substances to ensuring that the legally produced cannabis does not make its way to the illegal market.
Under the circumstances, permitting the cultivation of cannabis legal in Goa will lead to various tricky issues. As a tourist destination, and given the availability of drugs in the State that can be gauged by the raids that take place, how will the cannabis plantations be monitored and the produce checked so that it is directly purchased by the pharmaceutical industry and does not reach the illegal narcotics trade? Besides, as has been seen, in the illegal cannabis plantations that have been raided in the State, there was an artificial environment created to allow the plant to grow. Goa’s climate is not conducive to the growth of cannabis, so why would the government even consider allowing the growth of cannabis?
Cannabis was made illegal in India less than 40 years ago, and the debate of making it legal again has been on since then. Uttarakhand has made growing marijuana legal, and that State is being used as an example of why other States should not follow its example. Should Goa follow the lead of Uttarakhand? That’s a question that not only the government but every Goan has to consider.