Demanding to legalize marijuana and bhang, a lawmaker of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has registered a proposal of urgent public importance at the House of Representatives.

Speaking at the house meeting yesterday, NCP lawmaker Birodh Khatiwada registered the proposal that demands to lift the legal ban on marijuana and bhang.

The lawmakers demanded that it is necessary to legalize marijuana in order to make the country economically stable, produce natural medicines and treatment methods, uplift the living standard of farmers, and earn foreign currency.

Countries including USA, Canada, and Germany that had led the campaign to criminalize the use and sale of marijuana in the 1980s have now legalized pot, according to Khatiwada’s proposal.

Nepal’s land is apt to grow marijuana and the country should take advantage of the same through scientific production and sale of the natural herb, the lawmakers argued.

“As Nepali land is the best for marijuana farming, we should not wait further to change our legal policies and pave the way to legalize marijuana. Legalization of marijuana will help in monitoring its sale and distribution in a scientific way,” argued Khatiwada.

The proposal further states that more than 300 natural medicines can be produced with the help of marijuana.

At present, the production, consumption, sale, and distribution of marijuana is banned under the Narcotics Control Act. A total of 46 lawmakers have agreed with Katiwada’s proposal to legalize marijuana.