BJD chief whip Tathagata Satpathy calls for legalisation of cannabis

BJD’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Tathagata Satpathy has called for legalisation of cannabis consumption, citing that its ban has increased the consumption of alcohol. [caption id=“attachment_2373906” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image courtesy Twitter: @tathagata2[/caption] “In the villages of my constituency, old people, venerable people used to smoke marijuana… natural marijuana. Today, by imposing ban on natural substances, which people have been using for ages, from the time of Lord Shiva, we have actually forced a lot of these people to move on to alcohol,” Satpathy said, reports The Indian Express. Also lashing out on the alcohol ban imposed in various states, Satpathy said it was only helping the alcohol mafia, giving Gujarat as an example, reports Catch News. This is not the first time that Satpathy has called for legalisation of cannabis. In March, he gained a number of admirers after he admitted to smoking pot (hashish and marijuana) in his younger days and spoke against its ban, reports The Times of India. In recent years, many countries around the world have contemplated on legalising marijuana. Number of states on the United States can now sell either recreational or medical marijuana. In 2014, Uruguay became the first South American country ever to legalize the sale of marijuana, although the implementation of the policy has been difficult. Legalisation of cannabis remains an uphill task for any country or state, given the conflicting   studies and strong views on the subject of the policy makers.