KARACHI: The National Assembly on Friday passed a bill to regulate the cultivation of cannabis, and the sale of derivatives of the plant for medicinal and industrial use, Dawn.com reported.

Earlier this week, the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology approved the country’s first-ever Cannabis Authority Bill after a delay of over four years due to disputes between ministries over its jurisdiction.

The committee unanimously passed “The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Bill 2024” with amendments that seek the inclusion of two senators — one of whom must be a woman — in the board of governors of the authority, along with other revisions to the bill’s clauses.

The idea of legalising the production of medicinal hemp in Pakistan was floated in September 2020 by Fawad Chaudhry, the then-minister for science and technology, but the Ministry of Narcotics Control had raised objections, claiming that the matter fell under its jurisdiction.

Later, the Ministry of Food Security expressed concerns about approving res­earch and pilot cultivation of medicinal hemp, citing potential negative impacts on food cultivation in the country.

On Friday, the NA passed the bill to “regulate the cultivation of cannabis plant, extraction, refining, manufacturing and sale of derivatives of the plant for med­icinal and industrial use.”

The Act, known as the “Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Act, 2024”, extends to the whole of Pakistan and will come into effect immediately as soon as it receives the president’s assent.

Per the text of the app­roved bill, cannabis was defined as “resin (charas) that is, the separated resin, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant or leaves of the cannabis plant and also incl­udes concentrated preparation and resin known as hashish oil or liquid hashish.”

Cannabis was further defined as “the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant excluding the seed and leaves when not accompanied by the tops from which the resin has not been extracted, by wha­tever name they may be designated or known and include all forms known as bhang, siddhi or ganja.”

Upon the commencement of this act, an authority will be established (Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority) to carry out the purposes of the act under the administrative control of the concerned division.

The primary purpose of the authority will be to “ensure public health and safety by regulating the cultivation, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis and its derivatives in accordance with international obligations and best practices.”

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024