When Aamir Dhedhi took his mother to India in 2014 to get treatment for Parkinson's disease, the doctors there advised him to procure cannabidiol (CBD) oil to help her manage her pain. It was the first time that Dhedhi, a Karachi-based entrepreneur, learned about the medicinal use of the cannabis derivative.
On returning to Pakistan, the businessman ordered a small quantity of the oil from the United States. Almost instantly, it helped calm his mother's nerves and reduce tremors, he said. While his mother eventually passed away in 2020, Dhedhi said he has since seen others get relief from CBD oil. "Now, I want to help our local growers expand their production and help spread its usage," he said.
Dhedhi is not alone in wanting to develop a homegrown industry for medicinal cannabis. In February, Pakistan approved the passage of an ordinance that created the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (CCRA), a body tasked with "regulating the cultivation, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis derivatives for medical and industrial purposes".
The regulatory body will be overseen by a 13-member board, which will include representatives from different government departments, intelligence agencies as well as the private sector.
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