Team Herald
PANJIM: After drawing flak, the BJP-led State government has dropped its plan, for the present, to legalise the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Addressing media persons on Wednesday, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said that at present the government will not go ahead with the proposal to allow cultivation of marijuana in the State.
The proposal was moved by the Indian Institute of Integrated Medicine (IIIM), the national institute of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) of India.
“Along with Goa, IIIM had sent proposals to all the State governments to promote cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes, so that the natural drug could be sold to pharmaceutical companies,” Sawant said.
The statement comes a day after the Law Department had granted its green signal to the proposal and Law Minister Nilesh Cabral had announced that government will bring in legislation to make it a law.
Sawant said that when a proposal comes to the government, it is obviously vetted by various departments including the Law Department. “But this does not mean government has taken any final decision,” he said.
“The department vetting any proposal has no standing until the government gives its approval. And the government has not taken any decision in this regard,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that the cultivation of cannabis was only for medicinal purposes that are for use by pharmaceutical companies.
The Chief Minister said that cultivation of cannabis is legally adopted by two or three States.
Taking an indirect dig at the opposition, Sawant said, “There are some who want to make an issue out of this.” He added, “When there is no other issue where you can take on government, you look for some unwanted issues,” he said.
Earlier, the Congress and Goa Forward Party had criticised the government over its move to allow cannabis cultivation in the State.
