Cannabis to give a ‘high’ to Himachal textiles

This decision is surprising as it comes at a time when the state is battling to curb the burgeoning narcotic trade
The Hindustan Times (India)
Saturday, August 11, 2018

india cannabis himachalThe Himachal Pradesh government has decided to explore the industrial possibilities with hemp, a variety of cannabis, to produce yarn for making clothing and accessories like scarfs, slippers, wallets and bags. Annual state-wide drives to destroy the cannabis plants haven’t discouraged the farmers from cultivating them. Therefore, the Himachal Pradesh agriculture department has drawn a project to create economic benefits for farmers who use hemp to make textiles, which is otherwise used for extracting charas. "We have formulated a pilot project on the analogy of Uttarakhand government that had set up hemp textiles industries," said agriculture minister Ram Lal Markanda.