Nepal could end cannabis prohibition

Home of the legendary temple balls and other exotic delights, Nepal could soon be back on the road to legal cannabis, while the thinking has already surfaced several times over the past two years.

«It is not justifiable that a poor country like ours should have to treat cannabis as a drug,» Birodh Khatiwada, Nepal's Minister of Health, told Agence France-Presse on April 29. «Our people are being punished (...) and our corruption is increasing because of smuggling because we are following the decisions of developed countries who are now doing what they want.»

Local campaigners are also hoping to make cannabis available for medical use.

«It's medicine,» said cannabis activist Rajiv Kafle, who lives with HIV and uses cannabis for medical reasons. HIV can lead to wasting syndrome, which is a loss of appetite, the cannabis being known for its sensation of hunger post-consumer.

«So many patients use it, but they're forced to do it illegally,» said Rajiv Kafle, «They can get caught at any time.» On October 11, campaigners introduced a bill in Parliament, seeking to re-legalize the cultivation, use and export of cannabis, as more and more countries allow its medical and recreational uses.

Hashish and Kathmandu

In the 60s, many stories tell how the most fervent hippies would travel to Kathmandu, Nepal, to buy the best hashish in the world, For the more adventurous, this means buying directly from producers, or in government-authorized stores. As a result of growing pressure from the USA and other countries, Nepal has closed its hashish in 1973.

Today, the application of prohibition is uneven: tourists are often spared, and law enforcement agencies often turn a blind eye. during religious holidays, where cannabis plays an important role. Cannabis consumption in Hindu temples is commonplace. Shiva, the destroyer of evil, is often depicted holding a chillum, a gesture repeated at certain ceremonies or during the Hindu festival of Shivaratri.

In some regions, however, penalties are severe. Traffickers face up to ten years in prison, and plants are regularly seized and destroyed. In 2018, a temple complex was also raided, during which 280 people were arrested and 115 charged.