{"id":73748,"date":"2025-11-17T11:15:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T05:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=73748"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:15:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T05:45:27","slug":"bhang-vs-cannabis-in-india-why-bhang-is-legal-but-growing-cannabis-isnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/bhang-vs-cannabis-in-india-why-bhang-is-legal-but-growing-cannabis-isnt\/","title":{"rendered":"Bhang vs Cannabis in India: Why Bhang Is Legal but Growing Cannabis Isn\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Bhang Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kerala High Court has dismissed a petition by a man who was caught with five cannabis plants on a terrace.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He argued that since the <\/span><b>plants had no \u201cflowering or fruiting tops<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d, they couldn\u2019t be considered <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ganja<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is illegal under the NDPS Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court rejected this argument, explaining that the law makes a clear distinction:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>\u201cGanja\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> refers only to the flowering tops of the cannabis plant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the Act separately bans the cultivation of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">any<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cannabis plant, regardless of whether it has flowers or not.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ruling settles a common misunderstanding \u2014 some parts of the cannabis plant may be exempt from the definition of a narcotic drug, but <\/span><b>growing the plant itself is always illegal in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How the NDPS Act Defines Cannabis in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985\u2014 introduced under strong global pressure \u2014 India did not ban every part of the cannabis plant.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, the law defines \u201ccannabis (hemp)\u201d narrowly:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Charas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the resin extracted from the cannabis plant, including hashish oil.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Ganja<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: only the <\/span><b>flowering or fruiting tops<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the plant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Excluded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the <\/span><b>seeds and leaves<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as long as they are <\/span><b>not accompanied by the tops<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short, the law criminalises the intoxicating parts (resin and flowering tops) but not the seeds and leaves by themselves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why Bhang Is Legal: The Leaves-and-Seeds Loophole<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bhang remains legal in India because the NDPS Act excludes <\/span><b>cannabis leaves and seeds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the definition of \u201ccannabis\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since bhang is made from leaves, it is <\/span><b>not treated as a narcotic drug<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, even though other parts of the plant \u2014 like the resin (charas) and flowering tops (ganja) \u2014 are banned.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, bhang isn\u2019t completely unregulated. The NDPS Act leaves its control to <\/span><b>state governments<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, allowing them to regulate or even ban its production and sale.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">States like <\/span><b>Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> license bhang shops.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Others, like <\/span><b>Assam<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, have banned it under state laws.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, bhang is legal not because cannabis is allowed, but because <\/span><b>the law treats leaves differently from the intoxicating parts of the plant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why Growing Cannabis at Home Is Illegal Even If Bhang Is Legal<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although <\/span><b>cannabis leaves are not banned under the NDPS Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, growing the plant itself is a crime.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kerala High Court reaffirmed this by pointing to Section 8(b), which clearly bans the cultivation of any cannabis plant unless authorised for medical or scientific use.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law defines a \u201ccannabis plant\u201d as any plant of the genus cannabis, without distinguishing between plants with flowers and those without.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court also clarified that \u201ccultivation\u201d includes raising or gardening a plant even in pots, not just farming in fields.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How the NDPS Act Punishes Cannabis Offences<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NDPS Act sets different punishments depending on the type and quantity of cannabis involved:<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Small quantity<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ganja: up to 1 kg<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charas: up to 100 g<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punishment: Up to 1 year in jail, or a \u20b910,000 fine, or both.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Commercial quantity<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ganja: 20 kg or more<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charas: 1 kg or more<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punishment: 10\u201320 years rigorous imprisonment + \u20b91\u20132 lakh fine<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Intermediate quantity (between small and commercial)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punishment: Up to 10 years in jail + \u20b91 lakh fine<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Cultivating cannabis plants (even a few)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punishment: Up to 10 years rigorous imprisonment + \u20b91 lakh fine<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short, penalties rise sharply with quantity \u2014 and <\/span><b>cultivation itself is treated as a serious offence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">When Cannabis Can Be Grown Legally in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though the NDPS Act bans cannabis cultivation, it allows important <\/span><b>industrial and medical exceptions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 14 of the act lets the government permit cultivation specifically for <\/span><b>fibre, seeds, horticulture<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or <\/span><b>medical research<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using this provision:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Uttarakhand<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became the first state (in 2018) to license <\/span><b>industrial hemp<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a low-THC variety of cannabis.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have followed with similar permissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Union government<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has granted licences to scientific bodies like <\/span><b>CSIR<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to grow cannabis for medical studies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s first <\/span><b>medical cannabis clinic<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> opened in Bengaluru in 2020, prescribing cannabis-based medicines for certain conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, the <\/span><b>Delhi High Court<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has been examining a petition challenging the cannabis ban, arguing that the restrictions are outdated and lack scientific basis.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-law\/growing-cannabis-balcony-bhang-10367221\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/zeenews.india.com\/india\/why-growing-cannabis-plant-at-home-is-a-crime-but-buying-bhang-isn-t-explained-2985542.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ZN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India\u2019s NDPS Act bans cannabis cultivation but allows bhang from leaves. Know definitions, punishments, legality, and medical\/industrial exceptions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":73763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[3736,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-73748","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-bhang","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}