Nepal will legalize cannabis cultivation and consumption for medicinal purposes, Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun announced on Tuesday while presenting the government's budget estimates for the 2024-35 fiscal year. Addressing the joint session of Parliament, Pun said that necessary laws would be framed for commercial production of marijuana in the country.
"Legal arrangements will be made for commercial cultivation and consumption of marijuana for medical use," Pun said while unveiling a budget of Rs 1.860 trillion for the fiscal year 2024/25.
Legalising marijuana farming in Nepal not only requires amending the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act 2033, but it is necessary to send an application to the Narcotic Convention to convince the International Narcotics Control Board.
Nepal is a signatory to the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961, which classifies marijuana as a hard drug like heroin, the Nepalese media reported last year when a similar proposal was included in the budget for the 2023-24 fiscal.
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