Manipur government is considering legalizing the plantation of cannabis in the state, said Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Friday.

He was responding to a query on the legalisation of cannabis plantation, which was put forward by Congress MLA Khumukcham Joykishan at the Legislative Assembly.

Khumukcham, who represents Thangmeiband assembly constituency, asked the question during the question and answer session of the ongoing assembly.

“The primary purpose of the legalisation will be solely for medicinal and industrial purposes,” the CM said.

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“However, the government will not be taking any decision in haste. We will carefully check the merits and demerits before coming to a conclusion,” Sing added.

The CM further said that the state government is also studying the relevant reports from other states.

On September 21, 2019, N Biren Singh in a press conference had first informed about the Manipur government’s plans to legalize cannabis production solely for medicinal and industrial purposes.

He had further informed that preparations were on to discuss the matter in the state Cabinet meeting.

Three states- Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh– have already legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes.