Make cannabis consumption legal; ban is turning people alcoholic

BJD chief whip Tathagata Satpathy
The Indian Express (India)
Friday, December 11, 2015

Tathagata-SatpathyTathagata Satpathy, the BJD’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, called for legalisation of cannabis consumption. It was not the first time the four-time MP has made this pitch. His argument in the Lok Sabha was that banning cannabis consumption has led to increase in alcoholism. “Bhang was a very common intoxicant in the holy city of Puri. You could get it on the roadside. It was legally available there. It is available in Varanasi also. You have made it illegal and it has been replaced by alcohol.” He also connected rising alcohol consumption to rising crime rate.