Himachal Pradesh assembly passes strict NDPS Bill

  • | Saturday | 15th December, 2018

DHARAMSHALA: The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Friday passed a stringent NDPS Bill 2018 with amendments, making all offenses under the NDPS Act a non-bailable. The Bill also does not provide any relaxation in cannabis cultivation or use, which was a major point of contention raised by some MLAs.Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur moved a resolution to make amendments in the NDPS Act 1985. He said the government through this amendment just wanted to send a strong message against drugs in society and help youths stay away from the menace. They claimed cannabis has several medicinal qualities, which is why the government was planning to legalize cultivation of cannabis for medicinal use.They said there are loopholes in the Bill which can be misused in the state. It might fill up the jails with drug addicts and not drug peddlers, they added.Congress MLA Ramlal Thakur from Naina Devi said local saints, roaming babas and common citizens use cannabis in their routine life and this amendment will land all such people in jail.

DHARAMSHALA: The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Friday passed a stringent NDPS Bill 2018 with amendments, making all offenses under the NDPS Act a non-bailable. The Bill also does not provide any relaxation in cannabis cultivation or use, which was a major point of contention raised by some MLAs.Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur moved a resolution to make amendments in the NDPS Act 1985. The Bill, if cleared by the Centre, will land a person carrying any amount of drug in jail till the court grants bail after hearing the public prosecutor.During the discussion, some Congress and BJP MLAs said cannabis should be excluded from the list of chemical and synthetic drugs and the House should form a committee to distinguish types of drugs first, failing which many innocent people might land in jail. They claimed cannabis has several medicinal qualities, which is why the government was planning to legalize cultivation of cannabis for medicinal use.They said there are loopholes in the Bill which can be misused in the state. It might fill up the jails with drug addicts and not drug peddlers, they added.Congress MLA Ramlal Thakur from Naina Devi said local saints, roaming babas and common citizens use cannabis in their routine life and this amendment will land all such people in jail. He said the law was good against drugs like chitta, but not for cannabis.Congress state president and MLA Sukhwinder Sukhu said with Punjab government decided to recommend death penalty for drug peddlers or traffickers, such criminals have settled in the peripheral areas of Himachal Pradesh.“Chitta is certainly a dangerous drug, but cannabis should be excluded from the list of drugs as done by several countries like Germany and Canada, where its cultivation has been legalized,” he added.Echoing similar view, Congress MLA from Kullu Sunder Singh said there are many traditions associated with cannabis in his area.Even BJP MLA Ramesh Dhawala said this amendment would spoil the future of the youths, which is why a committee should be formed to look into the issue.CPM MLA from Theog Rakesh Singha opposed the move saying there is a need of a separate law as the NDPS Act is incapable of fighting drugs like chitta.Clearing the air, the chief minister said this is a central Act and it would up to the central authorities to pass this Bill or not. He said the government through this amendment just wanted to send a strong message against drugs in society and help youths stay away from the menace.

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