Sandalwood
actress
Niveditha
best
known
for
her
role
in
Parie
has
found
herself
in
trouble,
after
a
case
was
lodged
against
her
for
allegedly
comparing
cannabis
to
tulasi
leaves
during
a
media
interaction.
The
complaint
has
been
filed
by
Deepak,
a
resident
of
Malleshwaram,
who
accused
the
actress
of
hurting
religious
sentiments
by
comparing
the
sacred
plant
to
cannabis.
During
the
media
interaction,
Niveditha
had
spoken
that
Cannabis
has
extraordinary
medicinal
qualities
and
is
the
backbone
of
Ayurveda.
As
per
Times
of
India
report,
she
was
quoted
as
saying,
"If
we
look
at
the
history,
cannabis
was
vastly
grown
in
India,
more
in
North
India,
compared
to
South,
before
it
was
made
illegal
in
India
in
1985.
It
was
used
to
cure
many
diseases
as
well
as
for
relaxation
purposes.
There
is
not
a
single
person
who
has
died
because
of
consuming
cannabis
which
is
called
in
different
names
during
Atharvaveda
like
Vijaya,
Ajaya,
Mathurani
and
Siddhi.
There
are
also
references
in
some
books
that
cannabis
was
even
used
for
religious
purposes."
(sic)
Further,
the
actress
cited
the
example
of
America
and
other
40
countries
where
cannabis
consumption
is
legal.
Niveditha
was
also
trolled
on
social
media
for
her
stand
on
the
usage
of
the
drug.
On
the
professional
front,
the
actress
was
last
seen
in
crime
thriller
Popcorn
Monkey
Tiger
directed
by
Duniya
Soori.
The
film
released
on
February
22,
2020,
also
features
Dhananjay,
Sparsh
Rekha,
Amrutha
Iyengar
and
Sapthami
Gowda.