'Legalise use of cannabis for medicinal purposes'

A good 30 years after the country joined a league of the nations that considers Cannabis or marijuana as a narcotic drug, a movement has been launched in India demanding legalisation of the grass.

In the backdrop of several countries legalising marijuana, a conference was held in the City on Sunday to create awareness about India’s banned traditional drug.

Rick Simpson, who was the first person to extract concentrated cannabis oil, which he claimed to have used to cure his cancer, presided over the conference. He shared his stories through the programme. Rick emphasised on the medical qualities of cannabis and how it could empower individuals in treating their ailments on their own. He also requested the government to consider lifting the prohibition on the use of cannabis.

On whether decriminalising marijuana is easy to achieve in India, Rick said, “I cannot imagine how can they (government agencies) can stop people from using it. This is the homeland of cannabis.”

The organisation, which is spearheading the movement for drug reform, says the people have been deprived of medical benefits of cannabis. The conference drew audience from various walks of society. Many relatives of cancer patients took part in the event to understand the medical properties of cannabis in treating the disease.

Watch the video at www.deccanherald.com