India’s traditional medicine system, Ayurveda, has long documented the controlled medicinal use of cannabis. Over the past decade, government-backed research into cannabinoids has helped bring that history into the modern medical cannabis conversation.
One important phase of this shift came during the Narendra Modi government’s broader promotion of Ayurveda and traditional medicine, when Indian research institutions began exploring cannabis-based medicines for conditions including cancer-related symptoms, epilepsy and sickle-cell anaemia.
Government Researchers Studied Cannabis for Cancer Patients
In 2018, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), operating under India’s AYUSH ministry, reported encouraging findings from an early study involving cannabis leaf-based preparations.
Researchers said cannabis-derived medicines appeared to help reduce pain and other symptoms experienced by some cancer patients following chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The development was significant because cannabis had rarely been studied through formal clinical research channels in India despite its long history in traditional medicine.
CSIR-IIIM Worked on Cannabis-Based Medicines
Around the same period, the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) was developing cannabinoid-based medicines aimed at conditions including:
- Cancer-related symptoms
- Epilepsy
- Sickle-cell anaemia
Researchers focused particularly on cannabis varieties containing relatively low levels of THC and higher concentrations of CBD.
THC is the cannabinoid primarily associated with cannabis intoxication, while CBD has attracted substantial medical and pharmaceutical research because it does not produce the same intoxicating effects.
Indian Cannabis Varieties Were Studied for CBD
Scientists examined cannabis plants collected from Himalayan regions to identify varieties suitable for medical research.
CSIR-IIIM researchers reportedly selected a Cannabis sativa variety capable of producing approximately 4% to 6% CBD, allowing scientists to investigate potential therapeutic applications while limiting THC exposure.
Ayurveda Has a Long History With Cannabis
Cannabis is not entirely new to Indian medicine.
Traditional Ayurvedic literature has historically referred to Vijaya, a name associated with cannabis, in formulations intended for controlled medicinal use.
However, traditional use does not automatically establish modern clinical effectiveness. Contemporary cannabis medicines still require scientific studies examining dosage, safety, interactions and therapeutic outcomes.
This is where government-supported research became important: it created a pathway for traditional knowledge to be evaluated using modern pharmaceutical and clinical standards.
Cannabis Cultivation Remained a Major Barrier
One of the biggest challenges for medical cannabis research in India has historically been access to legally cultivated plants.
In 2017, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reportedly granted CSIR-IIIM permission to cultivate cannabis on approximately one acre of land in Jammu and Kashmir for scientific and medical research.
The licence represented an important distinction between recreational cannabis cultivation and tightly controlled cultivation undertaken for government-approved research.
Uttarakhand Took a Different Route With Hemp
India also started experimenting with regulated cultivation of industrial hemp.
Uttarakhand became one of the first Indian states to develop a framework allowing licensed commercial hemp cultivation.
Industrial hemp is generally cultivated for applications such as fibre, textiles, construction materials, food ingredients and other industrial uses rather than intoxication.
This helped introduce another important distinction into India's cannabis debate: hemp, medical cannabis and recreational marijuana are not necessarily the same policy issue.
Patanjali Also Explored Cannabis Research
The conversation expanded beyond government laboratories.
Patanjali Ayurved, the consumer-products and Ayurveda company associated with yoga entrepreneur Baba Ramdev, had also publicly discussed research involving cannabis.
Interest from Ayurveda-focused organisations further demonstrated how cannabis was gradually being reconsidered as a potential medicinal and industrial resource rather than being discussed exclusively as an illegal intoxicant.
Medical Cannabis Could Be the First Step
Researchers and officials quoted at the time argued that the medical route could play an important role in changing how policymakers view cannabis.
The logic was simple: if controlled clinical research demonstrates meaningful therapeutic benefits, governments may become more comfortable developing regulations for medical cannabis.
That does not automatically mean recreational cannabis legalisation would follow.
Instead, India could potentially continue treating different cannabis uses separately — allowing medical research, regulated hemp cultivation or pharmaceutical cannabinoid products while maintaining restrictions on recreational marijuana.
India’s Cannabis Debate Is Bigger Than Legalisation
The developments highlighted an important shift in India's cannabis discussion.
For decades, the debate largely focused on prohibition. Medical research and industrial hemp introduced additional questions around science, traditional medicine, agriculture and pharmaceuticals.
India also has a unique cultural relationship with cannabis. Certain preparations such as bhang have historically occupied a different legal and cultural position from cannabis resin and flowering tops.
That makes India's cannabis policy landscape considerably more complex than a simple choice between prohibition and full legalisation.
From Traditional Medicine to Modern Research
India’s renewed emphasis on Ayurveda helped create an environment in which researchers could revisit cannabis through a scientific lens.
The research discussed during this period did not mean that medical marijuana had been broadly legalised in India. Instead, it demonstrated that government institutions were willing to study cannabinoids under controlled conditions.
For India’s emerging cannabis and hemp sector, that distinction remains important: scientific research, industrial hemp, traditional preparations and recreational cannabis each operate within different legal and regulatory frameworks.
Original Reference: Quartz
Read the original Quartz report
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