Explained: Bhang, ganja, and criminality in the NDPS Act

Courts ruled that bhang is not ganja, and is therefore not covered under the NDPS Act
The Indian Express (India)
Thursday, September 1, 2022

india express explained cannabisWhile granting bail to a man arrested on June 1 for possessing 29 kg of bhang and 400 g of ganja, Karnataka High Court recently observed that nowhere in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is bhang referred to as a prohibited drink or prohibited drug in India. Since the ganja recovered was below commercial quantity, the accused was given bail on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh. The single judge Bench relied on two earlier judgments, Madhukar vs the State of Maharashtra, 2002 and Arjun Singh vs State of Haryana, 2004, where the courts had ruled that bhang is not ganja, and is therefore not covered under the NDPS Act. (See also: Cannabis in India: A rather long story, with its highs and lows)