Himachal Pradesh, long known for Parvati Valley charas, wants to turn cannabis into a commodity. The state is set to allow regulated cultivation of industrial hemp, expecting Rs 2,000 crore revenue and jobs across textiles, footwear, paper, packaging, cosmetics, biofuel and construction.
The state has already enacted legislation to regulate cultivation, processing, manufacturing, warehousing and transportation of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. Preparations are now underway to establish Himachal as a major national hub for industrial hemp under the government's "Green to Gold" initiative, following Uttarakhand and Assam.
Kullu MLA Sunder Thakur said cannabis cultivation in Kullu region would be undertaken for textile industry, facilitating production of fabrics, shawls, handicrafts, and handloom items. He said cannabis cultivation would also be legally permitted for medicinal purposes, with seeds to be made available to farmers through Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University and University of Horticulture.
Cannabis has long been associated with illegal drug trade. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has described the shift as one from "wild weed" to "Himalayan gold", citing rising international demand for hemp-fibre products.
Thakur said prescribed fee would be Rs 500 per bigha for general cultivation and Rs 1 lakh per bigha for medicinal cultivation. "Only varieties with a THC content of less than 0.3 percent will be grown at this level, the plant cannot be used for intoxicating purposes. All activities - including cultivation, transportation, storage, and processing - will operate under a licensing and monitoring framework," he said.
An all-party committee led by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi had toured the country and conducted a legal study before unanimously recommending cultivation in limited areas.
The economics are compelling. Apples and tourism - Himachal's pillars - are climate-vulnerable. Hemp needs less water than paddy, grows on marginal land, and has a global market from biodegradable packaging to hempcrete, a carbon-negative building material, to CBD.
The risk is enforcement. Distinguishing <0.3% THC industrial hemp from high-THC charas in the field is difficult. Police, already struggling with illicit cultivation, will need seed control, geo-tagging, lab testing. Without it, legal fields could mask illegal ones. If Himachal gets regulation right, it builds a new agri-value chain for hill farmers. If not, it becomes a new front for narco-policing. The move from wild weed to gold depends on not getting high on its own promise.