The Government of Himachal Pradesh on August 20, 2026, issued the Himachal Pradesh Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026, further to amend the Himachal Pradesh Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Rules, 1989.
The following have been amended, namely:
• The definition of “Nodal Officer” is revised to mean an Agriculture Department officer not below the rank of Agriculture Development Officer (ADO) of the concerned Block. Cannabis seeds shall now be procured from authorised suppliers and accompanied by NABL/Government laboratory certificates specifying cannabinoid strength, THC/CBD profiles and, for imported seeds, applicable phytosanitary documentation; cultivators shall submit these documents to the Nodal Officer at least 21 days before cultivation. Cultivation for medical/scientific purposes may be undertaken across Himachal Pradesh but shall be in a compact, geographically contiguous area, with a minimum landholding of five bighas, except for Government departments and research institutions.
• Applicants shall provide land details, GPS coordinates, geo-tagging, secure warehousing and a prior purchase agreement with the manufacturer, ensuring a mandatory buy-back mechanism, and cultivation facilities shall follow Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP). Manufacturing licensees are required to maintain Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Distribution Practices (GDP), while the minimum capital investment for cultivation, processing, manufacturing and packaging units is fixed at ₹100 crore.
• The amendment also rationalises licence fees, including ₹1,00,000 per bigha for cultivation and ₹1 crore for manufacturing licences, and updates the prescribed application forms by replacing the District Nodal Officer with the Agriculture Department’s Nodal Officer.
[Notification no. - EXN-F-(10)-8/2021-Vol-II]
