Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said, Jammu is going to pioneer India's first Cannabis Medicine Project.
‘Cannabis Research Project’ of CSIR-IIIM Jammu is a first of its kind in India initiated under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Private Public Partnership with a Canadian firm, which has a great potential to put substance of abuse for the good of mankind especially for patients suffering from neuropathies, cancer and epilepsy.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said this during a visit to the Cannabis Cultivation Farm of CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine at Chatha near Jammu to get the first-hand information about the cultivation practices for Cannabis in the protected area of the institute and research work being carried out on this important plant.
The Minister said, this project of CSIR-IIIM is also important from the perspective of Atma- Nirbhar Bharat as after getting all the approvals, it will be able to produce export quality drugs meant for different kinds of neuropathies, diabetic pains etc.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, since J&K and Punjab are affected by drug abuse, this kind of project will spread awareness that this substance of abuse has diverse medicinal uses especially for the patients suffering from malignancies and other diseases.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the signing of scientific agreement between CSIR-IIIM and IndusScan was historic not only for J&K but for whole of India as it has the potential to produce those kinds of medicines which have to be exported from foreign countries.
This kind of project will give an impetus for huge investment in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr. Jitendra Singh added.
While appreciating CSIR-IIIM for this project, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, CSIR-IIIM is the oldest scientific research institute in India with the history of discovering mint way back in 1960s, the centre of purple revolution and now the Cannabis Research Project of CSIR-IIIM is going to make it more prestigious in terms of scientific research in India.
During the field visit, Dr Jitendra Singh took stock of the one acre protected area where CSIR-IIIM is presently doing large scale cultivation of superior accessions of Cannabis.