Shimla, Sept. 11 -- Cannabis, which has grown wild for years in Himachal Pradesh and once associated primarily with intoxication and illicit trade, will now be used to manufacture T-shirts, bags, ropes, footwear, paper, packaging materials, and eco-friendly construction materials.

Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur said, "Having already permitted medicinal use, the Himachal Pradesh government has now paved the way for regulated, licence-based hemp cultivation for industrial purposes," the MLA said. He noted that the prescribed fee is Rs.500 per bigha for general cultivation and Rs.1 lakh per bigha for medicinal cultivation.

With this, the cash strapped Himachal Pradesh is also aiming to earn a revenue of Rs.2,000 crore by regulating the cult...