Pakistan finally allows cannabis and the hemp industry

Pakistan took a bold move when it decided to allow commercial, domestic, medicinal cannabis and hemp production inside the country. The hemp will be grown, at least for the time being, in a Herbal Medicine Park in Jhelum. "Cabinet has approved the first license for @MinistryofST and PCSIR \[Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research\] to use hemp for industrial and medicinal purposes ... \[The\] landmark decision will put Pakistan in a billion dollar CBD market" , announced the Minister of Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, on Twitter in an exciting update. This is a huge step for Pakistan as it will help them enter the CBD market and become viable players in the hemp and non-THC industries and generate some of the much-needed income that the market is generating . It took much consultation between government agencies to make this happen, but now there is hope that the industry will generate income for the community. It is planned to import specific cannabis seeds to grow cannabis containing CBD that can be used for medicinal purposes. The plan for Pakistani Pot The previous plan is for Pakistan to grow crops that contain only legal amounts of THC, around 0.3 percent or less. This way they will stay lawful in the market and be able to enter the CBD industry. The hemp seeds are used to make oil, leaves for medicine, and even fibers from hemp stems to replace cotton. "CBD compounds play an important role in therapeutic medicine. After 2016, groundbreaking research was unveiled that prompted China to set up a cannabis research department and is now growing hemp on 40,000 acres and Canada is growing it on 100,000 acres," Chaudhry told reporters regarding the decision to enter the industry. "Globally, this fiber is replacing cotton. Clothes, bags and other textile products are made from the fiber from this plant. This is a $ 25 billion market, and Pakistan can take a large share of that market," added Chaudhry. "This is under the control of the government so that further research can be carried out and adequate protective measures can be taken by the Department of Narcotics. Despite the hesitation in Pakistan due to stigma and the fact that cannabis containing THC is still illegal, the minister and the rest of those who made the decision are hoping to make good income from the CBD industry. The hemp market in Pakistan is expected to generate $ 1 billion in revenue over the next three years as various areas such as the cultivation and production, research and exports of medicinal cannabis in the area become a reality. Most of the hemp will be grown in the Potohar region, which is in northern Punjab. The climate there is ideal for growing hemp outdoors. Overall, this is part of the Ministry of Science's plan to encourage the development of products based on non-traditional farming practices. While it is still in its infancy to see what the cannabis industry will look like in Pakistan, this is a huge step forward in the CBD industry and it will be interesting to see what follows.