Gandaki Province legalises farming and medical use of cannabis

KATHMANDU: Gandaki Province has legalised the farming and medical use of cannabis, the provincial government announced, despite a national prohibition on the drug.

The provincial law took effect on August 3 after it was endorsed by the chief of Gandaki Province, Prabin Poudyal, spokesperson for the Office of the Chief of Gandaki Province, he said. It permits cultivation and medical use of marijuana under provincial authority.

Under the new rules, farmers must obtain official permission from provincial authorities and will be subject to close monitoring, the spokesperson said.

The provincial measure comes even though national law still bans cultivation, possession and use of marijuana. Under national rules, personal possession can carry a jail term of up to one month, while distribution and sales are punishable by up to 10 years in prison depending on the quantity seized.

Gandaki Province includes popular mountain and hiking areas and the resort city of Pokhara, a major tourist destination.

Cannabis is native to Nepal and remains widely used during festivals. Activists have long campaigned for changes to national law to allow regulated use. Marijuana was once embedded in the country’s culture and religion, but Nepal outlawed it in the late 1970s.

During the annual Shivaratri festival every spring, devotees commonly smoke joints at temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, and authorities typically tolerate its use during the celebrations.