Pakistan bets on a cannabis high as its economy struggles

A new regulator aims to legalise hemp growth, while crushing a black market. But is Pakistan too late to the global cannabis party?

Islamabad, Pakistan – When Aamir Dhedhi took his mother to India in 2014 to get treatment for Parkinson’s disease, the doctors there advised him to procure cannabidiol (CBD) oil to help her manage her pain. It was the first time that Dhedhi, a Karachi-based entrepreneur, learned about the medicinal use of the cannabis derivative.

On returning to Pakistan, the businessman ordered a small quantity of the oil from the United States. Almost instantly, it helped calm his mother’s nerves and reduce tremors, he said. Dhedhi became a firm believer in CBD’s benefits.

“Seeing the oil’s impact on my mother’s wellbeing, this has grown into a passion project for me,” the 49-year-old businessman told Al Jazeera.

While his mother eventually passed away in 2020, Dhedhi said he has since seen others get relief from CBD oil. “Now, I want to help our local growers expand their production and help spread its usage,” he said.

Dhedhi is not alone in wanting to develop a homegrown industry for medicinal cannabis.

In February, Pakistan approved the passage of an ordinance that created the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (CCRA), a body tasked with “regulating the cultivation, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis derivatives for medical and industrial purposes”.

The regulatory body will be overseen by a 13-member board, which will include representatives from different government departments, intelligence agencies as well as the private sector.

The establishment of the regulatory body, which was first proposed in 2020 under the tenure of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, points to