THC Wax and Cannabis Dabs in India: What They Are and What the Law Says

THC wax, dabs, shatter, rosin and every other cannabis concentrate are illegal in India. They are made from the resin or the flowering tops of the cannabis plant, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 treats those as narcotic drugs in every state. No wax, shatter or other resin concentrate is sold lawfully in India, on prescription or otherwise, and THC Store does not sell any.

What THC wax and dabs are

A cannabis concentrate is what is left when the resin of the plant is separated from the plant material. The resin holds most of the plant's THC, so a concentrate is far stronger than the flower it came from. The names describe texture more than anything else:

• Wax, budder and crumble: soft, opaque concentrates.
• Shatter: a hard, glass-like sheet.
• Live resin: made from plants frozen at harvest.
• Rosin: pressed out with heat and pressure, without a solvent.
• Hash oil: a liquid extract of the resin.

A "dab" is a small amount of concentrate that is heated and inhaled. Researchers who study concentrates describe products with THC in the range of 60 to 90 per cent, several times the strength of cannabis flower.

What Indian law says

The NDPS Act defines cannabis in section 2(iii). The first limb is charas: "the separated resin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin known as hashish oil or liquid hashish". The second is ganja, the flowering or fruiting tops. Wax, shatter, rosin and hash oil are all concentrated resin, so they fall inside the definition whatever they are called and however they were made.

Section 8 of the Act bars anyone from producing, manufacturing, possessing, selling, buying, transporting or consuming a narcotic drug except for medical or scientific purposes and in the manner the Act provides. We found no rule or licence in India that provides for resin concentrates to be made or sold to the public.

Quantities and penalties

For cannabis resin, and for extracts and tinctures of cannabis, the notified small quantity is 100 grams and the commercial quantity is 1 kilogram. Under section 20 of the Act:

• Less than the small quantity: imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to ₹10,000, or both.
• Between the two: imprisonment of up to ten years and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.
• More than the commercial quantity: ten to twenty years' imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh.

Possessing any amount is an offence. Making a concentrate at home is manufacture of a narcotic drug, and growing the plant is a separate offence under section 8(b).

Health and safety risks

The research on concentrates is mostly from countries where they are sold, and it points to three kinds of risk:

• Strength. A very small amount delivers a large dose of THC. Studies link regular use of high-THC products with a higher risk of dependence and of anxiety, paranoia and psychotic symptoms than lower-THC cannabis.
• Contamination. A 2015 laboratory study of concentrates found residual solvents and pesticides in a large share of the samples it tested. Extraction concentrates whatever was on the plant along with the THC.
• Fire and burns. Extraction with butane has caused explosions and serious burn injuries where people have tried it at home.

In India there is the added risk that anything sold as wax or dabs comes from an illegal source, with no testing and no way of knowing what it contains.

How licensed cannabis-leaf medicines differ

Ayurveda uses the leaf of the cannabis plant, called Vijaya or Bhanga. Medicines containing it are a different thing from a concentrate, in law and in practice:

• The part of the plant. The NDPS Act's definition leaves out the leaves when they are not accompanied by the flowering tops. Concentrates are made from the resin and the tops.
• The licence. An Ayurvedic medicine containing cannabis leaf is made under a manufacturing licence from the State Licensing Authority under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Since an August 2024 order of the Ministry of Ayush, that licence may be granted only after clearance from the Central Government.
• The label. Cannabis leaf is listed in Schedule E(1) of the Drugs Rules, 1945, and Rule 161(2) requires the container to say "Caution: to be taken under medical supervision" in English and Hindi.
• Supervision. The Ministry of Ayush says such medicines are to be taken under the supervision of a registered practitioner of that system.
• State law. Each state's excise or prohibition law also applies, and some states prohibit possessing preparations of the hemp leaf.

These medicines are not a substitute for a concentrate and are not meant to be. They are taken by mouth in measured amounts for a purpose a practitioner has agreed. You can read more about Vijaya leaf and the medicines made from it, or speak to a registered Ayurvedic practitioner about whether one is suitable for you.

Frequently asked questions

Are THC wax and cannabis dabs legal in India?

No. They are concentrated cannabis resin, which the NDPS Act defines as charas, a narcotic drug. Possessing, buying, selling or making them is an offence in every state.

Can a doctor prescribe a cannabis concentrate in India?

No. There is no licensed concentrate for a doctor to prescribe. The cannabis-based medicines made lawfully in India are Ayurvedic medicines containing the leaf, made under a state manufacturing licence.

Is it legal to make concentrates at home for personal use?

No. Making a concentrate is manufacture of a narcotic drug under section 8 of the NDPS Act, and growing the plant is a separate offence. Solvent extraction at home has also caused fires and serious injuries.

What is the penalty for possessing a small amount?

For cannabis resin and its extracts, less than 100 grams is a small quantity: imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to ₹10,000, or both. More than 1 kilogram is a commercial quantity, with ten to twenty years' imprisonment.

Is Vijaya extract the same as THC wax?

No. Vijaya medicines are made from the cannabis leaf under an Ayurvedic manufacturing licence and are taken under medical supervision. Wax and dabs are concentrated resin, which is a narcotic drug.

Sources

1. Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, sections 2(iii), 8 and 20.
2. Notification specifying small and commercial quantities, S.O. 1055(E), 19 October 2001.
3. Drugs Rules, 1945, Rule 161(2) and Schedule E(1).
4. Ministry of Ayush, Order No. T-11011/11/2021-DCC, 7 August 2024.
5. Raber JC, Elzinga S, Kaplan C. "Understanding dabs: contamination concerns of cannabis concentrates and cannabinoid transfer during the act of dabbing." Journal of Toxicological Sciences, 2015. PMID 26558460.
6. "Advancing the science on cannabis concentrates and behavioural health." Drug and Alcohol Review, 2023. PMC9878551.

Last reviewed: 13 October 2026, against the text of the Acts named. This is general information, not legal advice.