Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir): In a significant development, authorities have started the first of its kind legal cannabis cultivation in Jammu under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in collaboration with a Canada based firm, sources said. The cultivation is being carried out at the Chatha farm Jammu by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research- Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) Jammu as a pilot project.
Once the project succeeds, the otherwise forbidden plant could be grown for commercial purposes. Divulging further details into the project, Dr Zabeer Ahmed Director - CSIR - Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu said that the cultivation is being done under proper surveillance and protected area of the institute.
Pertinently, CSIR-IIIM is the pioneer institute in cannabis research and obtained the first license for cultivation in the country. Dr Zabeer said that the research was conceived in 2015. The basic research in drug development has completed, he said adding that the next step will be the clinical trials and commercial scale manufacturing.
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The scientists of the institute are working in different directions to provide end-to-end technology for cannabis cultivation, and drug discovery with emphasis on disease conditions like pain management in cancer and epilepsy etc. Under a tripartite agreement of CSIR with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), CSIR-IIIM has completed the exploratory research on Cannabis after a license for the cultivation of Cannabis for the scientific purpose was granted by J&K government.
Dr Sabha Jeet, Scientist in-charge at Field Station Chatha said that CISR is giving importance to cannabis which contains certain compounds known for anti-cancer therapeutic use. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the project is succesfull, will serve multi-pronged purposes by primarily helping in tackling drug abuse and help in disease control with the anti-cancer drug value of the cannabis plant.
“J&K and Punjab are affected by drug abuse, but this kind of project will spread awareness that this substance of abuse can be used as a substance of use which has diverse medicinal uses, especially for patients suffering from malignancies and other diseases,” Dr Singh said. He said that the project will also play a vital role from the perspective of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat as it will help to produce export quality drugs meant for different kinds of diabetic pains, neuropathies etc.
