A Review of Historical Context and Current Research on Cannabis Use in India

Summary & key facts

This review found that research on cannabis use in India is limited and often low quality. The authors identified 29 Indian studies (1986–2020) but said most had small, region‑specific samples, included only men, used weak methods, and relied on simple descriptive analyses. National surveys show cannabis use has risen, and the authors call for better studies to understand who uses cannabis, why they use it, and what short‑ and long‑term effects follow.

Key facts:

• The review located 29 original research studies on cannabis use in India published between 1986 and 2020.
• Most Indian studies reviewed had small, region‑specific samples, included only males, and used basic quantitative designs with mainly descriptive data analysis.
• The criteria for defining cannabis use in most reviewed studies were not rigorous and the authors said they were prone to bias.
• A nationwide survey in India (2018) reported 31 million people (2.8% of the population) used cannabis, and 2.5 million (0.25%) showed signs of cannabis dependence.
• A previous nationwide drug survey in 2004 reported 8.7 million cannabis users (about 3% of the population) in India.
• Worldwide, more than 200 million people used cannabis in 2019, according to the review.
• The review notes a large gender gap in India: 5% of males and 0.6% of females reported cannabis use in the previous year in the cited survey.
• Cannabis has a long history in the Indian subcontinent (at least two thousand years) and has cultural and religious roles, for example preparations like bhang used in festivals.
• India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985 effectively banned cannabis, but in 2019 two states (Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh) permitted cultivation for medicinal and industrial purposes.
• The authors recommend more high‑quality research, including stronger cross‑sectional (one‑time) and longitudinal (over‑time) studies, to study motivations, patterns, and short‑ and long‑term effects of cannabis use for public health and pol

Abstract

With changing attitudes and loosening of restrictions on cannabis use, the prevalence of new users is rising dramatically particularly in the college going population. This presents a strong need for research on motivations and attitudes to cannabis use and how those can influence patterns of use, and also the short- and long-term effects of use. More studies with stronger research designs (both cross sectional and longitudinal) are required for the study of cannabis use and this knowledge will be critical for managing the growing substance epidemic, generating public health solutions as well as formulating effective policy frameworks.

Topics

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Archaeology Biology Botany Cannabis Context (archaeology) Environmental health Geography Identification (biology) Medicine Population Psychiatry Psychology