J-K institute, Canadian firm sign pact on cannabis research

Jammu and Kashmir will be the first in the country to develop medicines from the cannabis plant, said Union minister Jitendra Singh described its a "historic" achievement.

The CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, signed a major agreement on cannabis research with IndusScan, a Canadian company, here on Saturday in the presence of the Union minister and R R Bhatnagar, adviser to Lt Governor G C Murmu.

"This is the first-of-its-kind project in India and a historic moment for Jammu and Kashmir. Till now, we only have the misuse and abuse of this ancient plant having lot of medicinal values and with the signing of this agreement, we are reintroducing this ancient product with all good properties," Singh said addressing the gathering after the signing of the agreement.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office shared the efforts made by the IIIM Director Ram Vishwakarma over the past two years to get a nod from the government for the project.

He said when