Over 100 kgs on ganja seized in Mizoram: What is cannabis?

Five people were arrested and over 100 kgs of cannabis or ganja were seized from two places in Mizoram.

The ganja, worth Rs 2.53 lakh, was reportedly smuggled from neighbouring Myanmar. While 40 kilograms of ganja was seized from a house in Aizawl on Tuesday, the police got a tip-off that over 60 kilograms of the contraband being transported to Saitual in Aizawl district, 100 km from the state capital.

Three persons were arrested from Aizawl and two others from Saitual in connection with the seizure of 101.8 kilograms of ganja.

Cannabis is a banned substance in India and the person possessing it can be booked under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

What is cannabis or ganja?

Dried cannabis leaves for recreational use

Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant. It is being used in India for both medicinal and recreational purposes for centuries . The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Dried cannabis leaves are usually smoked, although they also be eaten or drunk in different forms.

The earliest recorded uses date from the 3rd millennium BC. Since the early 20th century, cannabis has been subject to legal restrictions. The possession, use, and sale of cannabis is illegal in most countries of the world.

Prolonged usage can lead to adverse affects on health

Effects of chronic use may include bronchitis, a cannabis dependence syndrome, and subtle impairments of attention and memory.People who smoked cannabis regularly in adolescence exhibit reduced connectivity in specific brain regions associated with memory, learning, alertness, and executive function.

A study has suggested that sustained heavy, daily, adolescent onset cannabis use over decades is associated with a decline in IQ by age 38.

Chile is the largest producer of legal cannabis

In 2015,Chile passed a bill which allows the production and sale of drugs derived from hemp plants, legislation that countries such as Puerto Rico and Colombia have also adopted recently. At the end of 2015, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a decree which establishes that the Institute of Public Health has the authority to allow and control the use of cannabis for the manufacturing of medicinal products for human use.

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