HP mulls non-narcotic use of hemp for jobs, revenue generation

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi said on Thursday that the state government will adopt a novel approach of putting the hemp plant to non-narcotic use for revenue and job generation.He claimed that a government-appointed committee was looking into the regulation and policy aspects to open the market for medical and industrial use of hemp, which he said will give the patients safer natural treatment and give the state biodegradable alternatives to plastic and construction material. Negi said it at the task committee’s first meeting in Shimla.The minister said the committee had studied hemp’s market feasibility and environmental benefits, besides searching for foreign investment. He said Himachal Pradesh could be a leader in making conducive policy for this investment opportunity. Hemp’s fibre, seed, leaf, and flower can go into making multiple high-value products in pharmaceutical, ayurvedic product, textile, food, and cosmetics industries.The collection of wild cannabis has reduced its availability for the licensed cultivation of medicinal hemp in the polyhouse and industrial hemp in the fenced areas. This issue was also a topic of the meeting, beside how the state’s backward areas can benefit from the project. Negi said the committee planned to study impact of hemp regulation in Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. Advocate Deven Khanna talked about the non-narcotic uses of hemp.Chief parliamentary secretary Sunder Singh Thakur, MLAs Hans Raj, Janak Raj, Puran Chand Thakur, and Kewal Singh Pathania, and additional commissioner of state taxes and excise Rajiv Dogra were present.