Cabinet approval sought to grow cannabis to produce drugs

A Cabinet paper has been submitted to get approval to cultivate cannabis to manufacture Ayurvedic drugs, Health Ministry sources said.

Canada and the UK among others have lifted the bar on growing cannabis to produce drugs. Medical experts said that although smoking cannabis can harm health, using it as a medicinal drink is harmless.

Indigenous physicians urge the authorities, therefore, to allow growing cannabis since the stuff is widely required to manufacture mercurial drugs. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratna told Daily News that the Ministry will discuss with the Law and Order Ministry and the Justice Ministry to obtain cannabis that the Police destructs after raiding cannabis cultivations in forests, to the Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation.

The corporation now supplies a limited quantity of cannabis to Ayurvedic physicians, and registered drugs manufacturers. The department officials have informed the Health Minister that several drugs companies imported a large quantity of Ayurvedic ingredients, under the duty free privilege for other purposes other than to produce Ayurvedic drugs.

The Health Minister, against this background, has instructed the Ayurveda Commissioner to take steps to test the quality of the imported Ayurvedic drugs.

The Minister has instructed not to distribute any imported Ayurvedic drug without the approval from the Ayurvedic Department.

The commission was instructed to test the alcohol percentage of the Ayurvedic productions since complaints have been received that some Ayurvedic drugs contain a high level of alcohol.