Sri Lanka may begin exporting marijuana, according to President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The President emphasized “export”.
According to Sri Lanka Guardian, the country wants to make cannabis cultivation legal and is looking into exporting the plant.
In his address outlining the 2023 budget, President Ranil Wickremesinghe promised to appoint specialists to investigate the viability of marijuana cultivation in Sri Lanka. He reiterated that the government will only permit the cultivation of cannabis for export, according to News 1st.
He told the legislature, “The prospects of producing Triloka Wijayapathra just for exports will be explored, and an expert committee will also be established.”
According to Economy Next, the Sanskrit term for cannabis is Triloka Wijayapathra.
Cannabis is part of South Asian culture, and has been for centuries. Planet-wide prohibition, under the Single Treaty on Narcotics, was unsuccessful in eradicating the practice. Sri Lankans use it for cooking and medicinal purposes as well as for recreation. Diana Gamage, Sri Lanka’s State Minister for Tourism has been promoting Cannabis cultivation for export purposes. Former Health Minister Rajith Senaratne also backed the growing of marijuana for export. The 1925 Geneva International Convention on Narcotics Control included marijuana. The treaty bans Cannabis despite the government of India having opposed its inclusion. People have used Cannabis since time immemorial, officials pointed out. The government rightly questioned the practicality of enforcing marijuana prohibition.
Many countries have decriminalized marijuana. But it is still illegal for recreational use in South Asia. However, medicinal use is acceptable, Minister for Indigenous medicine Sisira Jayakody said in October, reports The Statesman. “Cannabis comes under the Ayurveda (Indigenous Medicine) Act,” Minister Jayakody told reporters. “It is a subject coming under the Department of Ayurveda. “We have to handle this with discipline,” Jayakody said. ”We cannot allow it to be used for recreational purposes. But we can use cannabis and cannabis extracts for medicinal purposes. “There is a large export demand also,” he added.