Himachal Pradesh Launches ‘Green to Gold’ Initiative

• 29 Dec 2025

In December 2025, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister launched the ‘Green to Gold’ initiative to transform the state’s economy and realise the vision of a self-reliant Himachal Pradesh by 2027.

• The initiative aims to legalise and regulate the cultivation of industrial hemp, repositioning the crop from an illicit narcotic association to a high-value bio-economy resource.
• Cannabis, which has long grown wild in Kullu, Mandi and Chamba, will now be promoted for medicinal use, textiles, paper and packaging, cosmetics, biofuel, energy and industrial applications.
• The state has identified industrial hemp as a versatile, climate-resilient crop capable of producing eco-friendly textiles, bioplastics and other high-value products.
• A key regulatory safeguard mandates that all cultivated hemp must contain less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), ensuring it is non-intoxicating and unsuitable for drug misuse.
• The policy addresses agrarian distress, as farmers are increasingly abandoning traditional crops due to wildlife damage, particularly from monkeys.
• Projections suggest that regulated hemp cultivation could generate ₹1,000-2,000 crore annually once fully scaled, reducing dependence on black markets and imports.