ISLAMABAD: The interference of the food ministry has dashed hopes of both the Ministry of Narcotics and the Ministry of Science and Technology to have administrative control over cultivation, harvest, processing and sale of medicinal hemp.

The policy for licence to cultivate, produce, local sale as well as export of medicinal hemp has hit snags as the food ministry has demanded at least two years plant quarantine and research of the approved marijuana varieties.

The idea was floated by Fawad Chaudhry the then minister for science and technology, and in September 2020 the cabinet led by then-prime minister Imran Khan, approved the summary in this regard, allowing legal production of the drug-based plant for the first time.

The ministry had sought permission from the cabinet to cultivate industrial hemp after deliberation by the ministries of commerce, narcotics control and national health services. Hemp seeds produce hemp oil, while the leaf is used in medicine and the stem can be turned into fibre to replace cotton in the textile industry.

However, soon after the change of the government, in April 2022, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, the minister for narcotics control approached Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that hemp relates to marijuana and his ministry should be the regulator of hemp trade and cultivation.

Ministries of science and narcotics control seek permission to cultivate plant

“The federal cabinet decided to shift the mandate of the hemp issue from the science ministry to the narcotics ministry in December, 2022,” said a senior official of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Responding to the directives of cabinet division, the ministry on Jan 16, 2023 highlighted that the draft of ‘National Industrial Hemp and Medicinal Cannabis Policy’ has been shared with the narcotics ministry, commerce ministry and the ministry for food security.

The draft policy evaluates the opportunities for cultivation, extraction and product development of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis in the country.

It highlighted: “The unique value proposition of this initiative will lead to indiginisation of hemp and cannabis seed development for crops and import substitution, provision of fibre for the textile and paper industry and development of medicinal products.”

The federal cabinet formed a committee chaired by Nawabzada Shazain Bugti and its co-chairman was Minister for Science and Technology Agha Hasan Baloch to clear the hemp policy and present it to the federal cabinet.

The final meeting of the committee to finalise the hemp policy was held recently in the Ministry of Narcotics, and its summary highlighted that the global industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis industry is expected to grow from current $25 billion to around $100 billion by 2026.

The summary stated that Pakistan needs to act swiftly to join this rapidly growing industry and earn foreign exchange, while hemp cultivation will create thousands of jobs in a variety of industries.

However, a senior official of the ministry said that at least two years of research of seeds was needed to be approved for cultivation, besides other factors including soil and weather conditions have to be documented before the crop is allowed for commercial cultivation.

The narcotics ministry has deferred the presentation of summary to the federal cabinet for approval of hemp policy.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2023