Posted by: _____ January 18, 2014
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ADITYA MAN SHRESTHA Forty years ago, American youngsters flocked to Nepal for pot. Now Nepali youngsters would fancy heading towards Colorado for the same reason. But that is mostly out of question, thanks to visa and cost restrictions. This bizarre reversal came about because Nepal still has a total ban on marijuana smoking, whereas Colorado lifted the ban on marijuana as a New Year gift to its people. Colorado did something in 2014 that Nepal wanted to do 36 years ago. In 1972 Nepal made illegal a grass that was freely grown in its mountains. Nepal did not decide to do so on its own, but at America’s behest. Since then, it has not had the courage to undo the decision for the fear of American retaliation. Within a couple of years of the decision, its adverse impacts over the poorest people of Nepal were painfully evident. In view of the desperation of poor farmers who did substantial marijuana business, the government was reconsidering a total ban on the cultivation and sale of cannabis in Nepal. In my articles published in 1978 in Hong Kong Standard (May 30), Bangkok Post (June 8) and The Daily Yomiuri (June 10) I had stated that “the decision was made at the height of excessive drug indulgence by a large number of Western hippies in Nepal, and international pressure, particularly spearheaded by the Americans, on the Nepali government to restrict drug production and its open traffic.” After 42 years, the table has turned. Nepal continues to retain a ban on the drug, whereas it is freely and legally cultivated and traded in the US, thanks to the Colorado initiative. Within the first week of legal trade, Colorado has already sold US $5 million worth of what they call recreational marijuana. It was available for the last one decade for medicinal purposes, and the same was sold out in the first week. One eighth of an ounce is sold for US $ 68, and it is freely available to all adults above 21. The annual business is estimated at US $ 600 million, and the Colorado government aims at bagging revenue worth US $70 million a year. In contrast, the ban in Nepal not only denied livelihood to a large number of people but also adversely affected their way of life. The people hardest hit by the drug ban belonged to the Far Western region, which is also the most backward part of the country. The ban left few alternatives to the inhabitants to make a living. The region’s total population then was 2,427,190, most of whom felt the inevitable pinch of the indiscriminate ban on cannabis production. Moreover, the ban suddenly brought to an end all the cannabis cultivation that was allowed under official license before 1972. Before that, cannabis was cultivated for commercial purposes in some Tarai districts in eastern part of Nepal like Siraha, Mahottari and Dhanusha. As much as 1,850 bighas of land (1 bigha is equal to 0.33 acre) were cultivated by hemp, costing nearly Rs 53 million then. People adversely affected in this area numbered about 300,000. Two factors influenced the government to reconsider its policy banning indigenous drug traffic. First, Nepali cannabis was a mild drug that could not be compared to strong drugs like cocaine and morphine. The main objection the developed countries had raised concerned production and international traffic of strong drugs that are not only harmful to health but also life-threatening. Decades of studies and researches have led to change of mind in the US in favor of free availability of the drug. Marijuana proved its worth after four decades of trial. The other reason, it was pointed out, underlying the change of opinion was that the official ban on cannabis cultivation was far from effective. Cannabis grew wild in the mountains over a large area of Western Nepal and its underground traffic, despite official vigilance, could not be brought under control. In practice, it was held responsible for illegal smuggling and mounting corruption among the poorly paid civil servants and the police, not excluding high officials, who all wanted to make easy money. Cannabis production in fact never stopped despite its illegal status. Every year the police make big news of destroying marijuana farms with manual implements. Will Nepal have the moral courage to take cue from Colorado to reverse its 42-year old decision of outlawing marijuana? adityaman@hotmail.com |