Police will no longer arrest people for using marijuana and throw away homemade liquor: Chief Minister Baniya
What you should know
Bagmati Province Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya has said that marijuana and homemade liquor will be brought under the legal ambit. He said that laws will be made and regulated in the province for marijuana cultivation and homemade liquor production, which are considered banned and controversial.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 19th convention of Raksirang Rural Municipality, Chief Minister Baniya informed that a law on marijuana and alcohol will be brought. He said that a processing center will be established in coordination between the federal, provincial and local governments on the issue of marijuana.
Claiming that marijuana will be used in the manufacture of medicines, he said that the provincial government will make traditional farming and production the basis of economic prosperity. According to Chief Minister Baniya, the government is preparing to legalize medicinal marijuana and brand homemade liquor.
‘The real achievement of the republic is that remote villages have become accessible after federalism. Under the current system, the situation of police catching people planting marijuana and throwing away homemade liquor will no longer exist,’ said Chief Minister Baniya. ‘We are branding alcohol made from millet and gittha and linking it to farmers’ income. The provincial government will make a law and give the form of industry to marijuana cultivation and production, which has been going on secretly for years.’
He added, ‘We will no longer get involved in the matter. Like Gandaki Province, we will also bring a bill and pave the way for making cancer medicine from marijuana. The police should not destroy homemade liquor made from millet, corn and kiwi, but the provincial government should brand it and export it abroad. This will bring a big change in the rural economy and replace the import of foreign liquor.'
Chief Minister Baniya inaugurated a four-story, 43-room building in Raksirang Rural Municipality on Wednesday. Inaugurating it, he mentioned that the rural municipality has constructed a 'village Singha Durbar' and said that the residents of the municipality will get services easily from this building. Stating that the building will not be made big and grand, he said that the building will be meaningful only if it can provide efficient services to the residents.
The office building was built on about 7 kathas of land at a cost of Rs 64.2 million. With the inauguration of the building, all the offices and branches of the rural municipality have come under one roof.
The Raksirang Rural Municipality office is currently located in Chainpur. Before the construction of the building, it was serving the residents of the municipality from a one-story mud building.
