Union minister Maneka Gandhi has suggested legalising psychoactive drug marijuana in the country for medical purposes, PTI reported on Sunday. Marijuana is currently legal in some parts of the United States and the Netherlands for medical use.

“Marijuana should be legalised for medical purposes, especially as it serves a purpose in cancer,” Gandhi told the news agency. She further said that some developed countries had legalised marijuana, “which ultimately resulted in less drug abuse”.

The minister for women and child development made this suggestion at a meeting of a group of ministers, according to the minutes of the meeting accessed by PTI. The meeting was chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed the ministers to examine the draft National Drug Demand Reduction Policy that seeks to address the problem of drug abuse in India.

However, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Latha Krishna Rao said the legalisation of marijuana was not the correct path, considering the low level of literacy in the country. The possibility may be explored in future, Rao added.