For thousands of years, Nepal has been a home for medicinal and herbal plants, including Cannabis sativa L. The country has a long history of cannabis production to facilitate Ayurvedic medication, as an intoxicant, and as homage to the Hindu god Shiva (Gautam, 2018). In Nepali and Sanskrit languages, the cannabis plant and its extracts are known as “ganja,” and the crushed forms of marijuana in its edible and smoked forms are “charas” and “bhang” . For many centuries, cannabis has been consumed in Nepal as part of Ayurvedic healing, an ancient medical system based on the concept of harmonious functioning of body, mind, and spirit. The consumption of bhang has long been associated with the Maha Shivratri festival and other festivities involving Shiva. However, the ancient Veda texts assert caution about bhang; as Shiva used bhang for self- purification and self-mastery, “mere mortals should refrain from even attempting” its consumption
Cultivation and trading of cannabis was a lucrative source of income for centuries. As Nepal is favored with suitable climatic conditions and fertile land, cannabis can be grown at different altitudes across the country. In the mid-1960s, the legendary cannabis-oriented “Hippie Trail” led to Nepal. Tourism flourished as many visitors came to Nepal to consume cannabis , and the cannabis-based economy boomed. Selling cannabis in shops was legal, and Kathmandu’s “Freak Street” became an epicenter for hippies.
In 1973, Nepal canceled the licenses of all cannabis shops, dealers, and farmers. Its legalization ended after the enactment of Narcotics Drug Control Act of 1976 (Sharma, 2015). The immediate effects of the cannabis ban were calamitous. Nepal lost a significant amount of revenue; tourism and cannabis trading declined severely, and farmers lost a major cash crop. Following the enactment of the Narcotics Drug Control Act, cannabis can only be consumed during the festival of Maha Shivaratri. According to Section 4 of the Act, “No person shall cultivate, consume or trade cannabis. The person, acting in violation of the prohibitions laid down in section 4 clause (a), shall be punished according to the gravity of offense.”
