Supreme Court Orders Government to Draft Regulations for Cannabis Use

Kathmandu. Years have passed since the voice demanding legal recognition for cannabis cultivation in Nepal began to rise. This issue, which was limited to political circles, parliament, and academic debates on the streets, has now taken a concrete legal path. The Supreme Court's issuance of a mandamus order to the government to formulate and implement necessary regulations, standards, and procedures for the medicinal, scientific, and industrial use of cannabis within three months has created a new stir. This decision by the Supreme Court has ended the legal ambiguity and government inaction regarding cannabis regulation for the past five decades.

The historic verdict was delivered by a joint bench of Supreme Court Justices Dr. Nahkul Subedi and Til Prasad Shrestha on a writ petition filed by advocate Saroj Adhikari and Rigeandra Giri of the Nepal Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs Association, with the Prime Minister's Office and Council of Ministers among the respondents.