The Senate Committee unanimously passed the bill titled “The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Bill, 2024” with amendments.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha chaired the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology held on Monday.
The Senate Committee unanimously passed the bill titled “The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Bill, 2024.” The Committee had detailed deliberations and passed the bill with amendments, including the inclusion of two members of the Senate, one of whom is a woman, as members of the Board of Governors of the authority, along with amendments to other clauses of the bill.
Chairman of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Dr. Syed Hussain Abidi, stated that the bill aims to ensure public health by regulating the cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis and to generate revenue by utilizing the economic potential of the cannabis industry.
He highlighted that cannabis can be used for industrial and medicinal purposes and has an economic potential of $4 to $6 billion. Senator Musadik Masood Malik asserted that cannabis use could be limited to medicinal purposes and that necessary safeguards should be in place to curb the abusive use of cannabis.
The Senate Standing Committee on Finance last week referred to the government bill “The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Bill, 2024,” aimed at regulating the cultivation of the cannabis plant, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of derivatives of the plant for medicinal and industrial use, to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
Officials of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) and the Ministry of Science and Technology, while briefing the committee, stated that if cannabis is regulated and value-added, it could not only replace cotton in the textile industry but also generate around $4 billion for the country’s economy, including exports. Currently, cannabis is planted illegally and generates around $300 million, but if it is brought into a framework, it can bring up to $4 billion through proper channels.
Globally, cannabis is a market of around $60 billion, said the officials, adding that it can be used as a major input and replacement for cotton in the textile industry, medicines, as well as entertainment, as it is less harmful compared to other synthetic products.
The committee was also informed that in 24 states of the United States, cannabis is allowed, which has resulted in reducing the use of alcohol.
The objectives of the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority are to ensure public health and safety by regulating the cultivation, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis and its derivatives by international obligations and best practices. Furthermore, it aims to reduce illicit trafficking by legalizing and regulating the cultivation and production of cannabis in designated areas, thereby providing better margins directly to farmers and mitigating social harm. It also seeks to promote the local development of cannabis-based medicinal and industrial products, generate exports, and attract foreign direct investment.
Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro objected to the proposed legislation, stating that it is a provincial subject and in contradiction with the 18th Constitutional Amendment. He proposed that legislation should be limited to the ICT jurisdiction.
The committee was informed that the proposed legislation was referred to the Finance Committee in the absence of the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology and Defence, which was supposed to be the relevant committee.
However, Senator Shibli Faraz said that the Standing Committee on Science and Technology was constituted and the bill should be referred there. The Chairman of the committee referred the bill to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
