10 May,2026 09:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Debjani Paul
Ishu uses the gummies for period pain and sleep issues, as well as a self-care tool, indulging on a relaxing day with sheet masks and music. Pic/Atul Kamble
If you've ever found yourself wondering why Holi is the one day of the year when it's acceptable to consume bhang, but on any other day, you risk social shaming or even arrest - you're not alone. Turns out the green herb is a morally grey area in a nation where our cultural ties with the plant go back centuries.
Take the recent NESCO drug case. While the investigation is around a drug ring supplying hard narcotics such as Ecstasy to college students at concerts, the police have cracked down hard on one of the accused after spotting her Instagram pictures of what looks like a weed-infused brownie during her travels to Thailand, where the law around cannabis is more relaxed.
This, even as a wave of wellness brands (Rastafari Wellness, Trost, Cure By Design) have entered the Indian market in the past couple of years, offering full-spectrum gummies, with both CBD (non-psychoactive component of cannabis) and THC (psychoactive component). Yes, gummies.
We know what you're about to ask: Is this even legal? Turns out, it is! But conditions apply.
These brands operate with licences from the Ayush ministry. The edibles - oils, tinctures, mints, and gummies - are marked as medicinal cannabis or vijaya, as it is known in Ayurveda. They are pharmaceutically processed as per Ayurvedic norms and under government regulation. And, crucially, these products can only be derived from the leaves of the vijaya plant.
But if you think that means cannabis "greens" are legal for everyone, including you, to buy and use, think again. Only government-authorised suppliers can grow and sell these leaves, and only manufacturers licenced by the Ayush ministry can use them to manufacture wellness products. As for the end consumer? They'd need a prescription from a licenced BAMS practitioner to sample the goods.
Still confused? Read on to know more.
. Section 2 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, defines ganja as the "flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant". This definition excludes the seeds and leaves, a loophole that has allowed bhang shops to operate.
. Section 14 allows for controlled cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes. This is subject to state laws.
. In 2018, Uttarakhand became the first state to legalise its cultivation for industrial purposes.
. The same year, the Ayush ministry issued the first licence for proprietary ayurvedic medicines based on vijaya. Only the leaf's use is permissible, however.
. One can purchase the medicines with a prescription from a BAMS practitioner.
. Cultivation/sale of cannabis remains illegal for the common man. Any sale/use of the cannabis bud remains illegal for
any entity.
Content creator Ishu's videos about her âgummy antics' have gone viral
Every time Ishu (@ishu.didi), 27, posts a video in her Instagram series "Gummy antics", the comment section is filled with amazed followers asking, "Is this legal?" or, "Aren't you scared to post this online?" Graphic designer by day and content creator at all other hours, Ishu often takes followers along on her gummy-fuelled adventures, which can range from a self-care day with a sheet mask and music, to an art gallery crawl, to a literal "din mein taare" experience at the planetarium.
We point out the NESCO drug case and the police scrutiny of the Instagram account of one of the accused, who has also posted about cannabis products, and ask if it worries her. "Gummies are legal as long as you are over 21, have a prescription, and source them from a government-licenced seller," she says, adding that she has a prescription for anxiety, C-PTSD, as well as very painful periods.
"I would hope that the police instead spend their time making communities safe by removing actual harmful substances. Like narcotics used for sexual assault, or to traffick women and children. Or drugs that cause harm to users."
"Even alcohol is more damaging; you can overdose on liquor, but you can't die after too much vijaya. The worst that can happen is you experience brief anxiety, but you can sleep it off."
But she does stress on responsible consumption: "Start with half a gummy. Do not drive or handle heavy machinery. Think of it as something you do in your me-time, to relax. I use it mainly to help with sleep or period pain," she says.
Is it worth paying upwards of R150 a pop? "It totally is. It is legal, safe from contamination, and you are paying for that peace of mind."
Advocate Aamir Mallik, who specialises in drug cases, remains sceptical of the edibles wave in the country
Advocate Aamir Mallik, who specialises in cases under the NDPS Act, at first says that it's a misconception that possession of cannabis leaves is legally allowed. "This is not true, if you are caught with ganja, you will have to serve 10 to 11 days in jail, there is no two ways about it," he says.
If caught with up to 1 kg of cannabis leaves then you might be able to plead to the court that it is self consumption and get away with six months of rehab. "But no one consumes 1 kg alone", and if any links to dealers is found, it'll invite far greater penalty.
With regards to gummies, Mallik went through some of the wellness brands' websites, as well as the Ayush Ministry portal. "Somehow they navigated a way to legalise their product," he says, adding that the products utilise a loophole left by cannabis leaves not being included in the NDPS Act.
Avadhoot Chavan, Founder of Rastafari Wellness, says deep R&D makes gummies safer
One of the brands that has entered the market in the past couple of years is Rastafari Wellness. As of now, it has three verticals: vijaya-infused tinctures, oils, and full-spectrum gummies in varying concentrations and flavours.
"India is an evolving market for vijaya-based products. While my generation would consume the plant only during Holi, younger generations have started to question why the herb is demonised," says Founder Avadhoot Chavan.
As for legality, Chavan asserts: "I would like to be very clear that this is not a grey area. This is legal medical cannabis, meant to help with health issues such as insomnia, stress, arthritis, and even painful conditions such as cancer or fibromyalgia. It also helps with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety."
Rastafari has tied up with Mehta Ayurvedic, an Ayurvedic manufacturer based in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, that has had a licence to process vijaya since 1985. They operate under a licence from the Ayush ministry and source raw material from government-authorised growers. Customers can consult BAMS practitioners empanelled by the firm, and based on their needs, they are prescribed the gummies.
But some reactions have been stark. "There is so little awareness about the legality that people just assume it is illegal. Some accused me of being a âdrug dealer'," he says. "But the positive feedback far outweighs the criticism. So many people struggling with sleep issues have told me they can finally get a good night's rest. Patients with cancer have told me that they have found relief from pain post chemo."
"We do not promote recreational use, but some euphoria from the product is inevitable because of the THC," he admits, "However, it is much safer because of multiple factors: We source raw material from the authorised sources, do extensive R&D to titrate and formulate it so you know exactly what you are getting."
Rs 150-R800
Price range per gummy across brands
A teenage cannabis user recalls a stressful interchange with the police, and says legal gummies can bring peace of mind
Hemant (name changed), a 19-year-old student from Mumbai, had no idea that gummies are now legally available in India until our conversation. "That makes my blood boil," says the teenager. It's far from self-righteous anger - he has been using weed since he was 16. If he had known about it earlier, he might never have risked getting on the wrong side of the law, which resulted in him getting caught by the police a year or so ago.
"I had ordered a bag of greens from a local supplier, and it was sent to me via a courier. But he must have alerted the police, because they were waiting for me," the teen recalls.
The matter was settled, but it burned a hole through their pocket - around Rs 50,000 - Hemant guesses.
"If there is a safer, legal option, that is great for users like me."
A recovered drug user warns that such easy access might lower caution and lead an unwitting experimenter to substance abuse
Aniket Chauhan (name changed) was 14 when he first started using drugs; it wasn't intentional, of course.
"At that stage, it didn't feel like a conscious or consequential decision. It was largely driven by curiosity and the environment I found myself in [where everyone seemed to be indulging]. What started with relatively mild substances escalated more quickly than I could have anticipated," he says.
Chauhan, who eventually stopped taking drugs at the age of 16, is now 20 years old and has become an anti-substance advocate among his peers.
When we ask Chauhan if he thinks weed gummies can cause disruption in anyone's life, he answers that it might. "One of the key concerns is the way these products are positioned - they appear benign, almost trivial, because of their form and presentation. That perception can significantly lower a person's sense of caution," he says. He finds edibles particularly sneaky. "Edibles have a delayed onset. This often leads individuals to consume more than intended, under the assumption that the initial dose has had little effect. When the effects do manifest, they can be more intense and prolonged than expected," he finally adds.
Yash Kotak, co-founder of Boheco, explains that while he believes in the power of THC, he is wary of entering the gummies market yet.
Boheco is the oldest players in the Indian vijaya wellness market, with nearly eight years of developing ayurvedic proprietary medicines. Their vast bouquet of products mostly feature CBD products such as mints, balms, and tinctures. They also have a few full-spectrum formulations meant for severe pain seen in conditions such as multiple sclerosis, or cancer. All oral consumption products require a prescription.
However, the company is yet to enter the gummies game. Co-founder Yash Kotak says, "It's not like we don't intend to get into gummies. But more than being first in the market, for us, it is important to do it in the right way, where we have ample evidence of it being an accepted form from a regulator's point of view. We want to be on the right side of the law."
What'd help both industry and consumer, we suggest, is clearer communication from the government on what is legal, and what isn't. Sunday mid-day's attempts to reach out to the Ayush ministry for a comment went unanswered till the time of going to press.
Vijaya has great power to help with pain, and improve sleep and quality of life for patients, Kotak says. On the potential for abuse, he says, "It is a tool; abuse depends on how it's used - just like cough syrups, balms, and inhalants are sometimes misused. At least Vijaya-based medicines are required to be taken under medical supervision.""
