Marijuana in Nepal: As the government is opening medicinal use, activists renew pressure for commercialisation

When the news of two police officials being a part of a marijuana awareness fair in Dhankuta of eastern Nepal appeared on the front page of a national daily , it caused a lot of uproar among activists. As marijuana in Nepal is still deemed illegal, the police officials were apparently punished later .

“The police were only there because they wanted to respect the invitation from the local ward chairs,” says Rajiv Kafle, a cannabis rights activist. “When I was inaugurating the event by watering the cannabis plant, the police officials left the area as a sign of protest. The news was a bit overblown.”