Nepal province legalises use of medical marijuana
A provincial government in Nepal has legalised the use and growing of marijuana for medical purposes despite a national ban.
A controversial bill allowing the cultivation and medical use of cannabis, which was endorsed by the chief of Nepal's Gandaki province, took effect on Monday.
However, farmers will be required to obtain official permission from provincial authorities and will be subject to close monitoring.
According to Kathmandu Post, province assembly members from the ruling coalition and opposition parties unanimously passed the legislation.
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Gandaki is one of Nepal's seven provinces. The province is home to some of the country's most popular mountains and hiking trails, as well as the resort city of Pokhara.
Marijuana outlawed in Nepal
Gandaki's provincial law sets a precedent in Nepal because it was passed despite a national ban on the cultivation, possession and use of marijuana.
Possession of marijuana for personal use can result in a one-month jail sentence, while its distribution and sale are punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment, depending on the amount involved.
However, cannabis is native to Nepal, where it is widely used during festivals. Activists have long been campaigning for the government to change the law to permit its cultivation and use.
Marijuana was once deeply embedded in the country's culture and religious traditions. However, in the late 1970s, Nepal joined other nations in outlawing marijuana and expelling the hippies who had flocked there.
