The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Monday unanimously passed the bill titled “The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Bill, 2024.” Chaired by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, the meeting of the Senate Body 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 PCSIR, Dr. Syed Hussain Abidi, stated that the bill aimed 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 dollars. Senator Musadik Masood Malik asserted that cannabis use could be limited to medicinal use and that necessary safeguards should be in place to curb the abusive use of cannabis. The meeting was attended by Senators Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan, Jan Muhammad, Husna Bano, Musadik Masood Malik, Nasir Mehmood, Syed Shibli Faraz, Secretary for the Ministry of Science and Technology Sajid Baloch, Acting Secretary for the Ministry of Defence Ashfaq  Kiyani, Chairman Pakistan Council of Scientific Research Dr. Syed Hussain Abidi and other senior officials from the relevant departments.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan