India’s Cannabis History

Cannabis has long and deep roots in India’s history and is buried in tales and religion.

Cannabis was first mentioned in the Vedas, the sacred Hindu literature,compiled  between 2000 and 1400 BC.Cannabis was one of five sacred plants, according to the Vedas, and its leaves housed a guardian angel. In the Vedas, cannabis is shown as a source of happiness, a joy-giver, and a liberator. It was given to people as a gift to help them find happiness and get over their fears and anxieties.

Shiva is commonly associated with cannabis, or “bhang,” as it is known in India. After a fight with his family, Shiva is said to have gone off into the fields. He dozed off under a leafy plant, weary of the family feud and the blazing heat. When he awoke, he tasted the plant’s leaves out of curiosity. After being instantly revived by the plant, Shiva became known as the Lord of Bhang.

In Europe, soldiers in the Middle Ages frequently drank bhang before heading into battle. According to mythology, an elephant carrying a sword in its boot assaulted the men of Sikh leader Gobind Singh. The scared troops were poised to mutiny when Singh offered one brave person a bhang-opium concoction. The potion gave him the courage and skill to slip behind the elephant and kill him. This gallant deed helped Singh’s soldiers defeat the enemy.

Cannabis has been drunk as a drink in India since recorded history began. Cannabis is boiled with almonds, pistachios, poppy seeds, pepper, ginger, and sugar, among other ingredients. Yoghurt can also be used in place of milk.

Bhang is sometimes eaten in the form of tiny balls. Mixing marijuana with milk is an excellent way to get THC out of it because milk has fat in it.

Other cannabis preparations found in India include ganja and charas. Ganja is made from the female plant’s flowers and higher leaves. It is more potent than bhang. Charas, produced from flowering flowers, is the most effective preparation. Charas is high in resin and has a similar potency to hashish. Both are smoked using an earthenware pipe called a chillum. Smoking is a social activity typically done in groups of two to five.

The British Commission

At the end of the 1890s, the British discovered that cannabis use was so common in colonial India that they decided to fund a significant study. They feared that cannabis addiction was harming the health of the indigenous peoples and driving them insane. The British government recommended that the Indian government appoint a commission to investigate hemp farming, drug preparation from it, drug trade, the social and moral impact of its consumption, and the prospect of prohibition.

Over a thousand interviews were done all over India by well-known British and Indian doctors. The commission was meticulous and systematic. It polled a broad and diverse group of people, including farmers and hospital psychiatrists, for their opinions.

The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report resulted from years of hard work. It has six volumes of data and findings. The commission was particularly worried about whether cannabis produced psychoses. After years of thorough and well-done research, the commission decided that it would not be fair to put limits on herbal cannabis (bhang). They concluded that it has been used for hundreds of years, has a lot of spiritual support among Hindus, and is safe when used in moderation. Drinking was more harmful.

Marijuana in Bollywood

Cannabis has frequently been portrayed in Indian movies. It was shown unfavourably in Hindi cinema, with the drug being connected with upper-class hippy culture or as an intoxicating stimulant used by criminals. On the other hand, the use of bhang was often praised in well-known film songs like “Jai Jai Shiv Shankar” and “Khaike Paan Banaraswala,” as well as in “Manali trance,” a popular song. Beginning in the 2000s, negative representations of cannabis began to change. Shaitan (2011), Luv ShuvTey Chicken Khurana (2012), Kapoor & Sons (2016), and The Blueberry Hunt (2016) all show urban middle-class heroes who use cannabis to relax. Many believe that there is a culture of smoking up among today’s youth, and it is becoming increasingly relevant in our movies. Some films, such as Gully Boy (2019), deal with the illegal cannabis trade in Mumbai.

Indians enjoy getting high on marijuana

According to a survey conducted by the German data firm ABCD, the country’s two largest cities, New Delhi and Mumbai used 38.2 tonnes and 32.4 tonnes of marijuana, respectively, ranking among the highest in the world.

While Delhi scored third in the list of 120 cities for marijuana smoking, after only New York and Karachi, Mumbai rated sixth.

ABCD’s figures are based on the UN Office of Drugs and Crime’s yearly prevalence of cannabis (the percentage of the population that used the substance in the previous year).

Is marijuana harmful?

Even though people who want to legalise marijuana and many people who smoke it think there are no harmful effects, scientific research shows that using marijuana can cause many health problems:

Brain

Several studies have shown that using marijuana makes you more likely to have the following psychotic symptoms:

• Delusions
• Disorganised speech and thinking
• Hallucinations
• Depressed and suicidal tendencies

Heart

Research shows that your chance of having a heart attack increases by as much as five times in the first hour after smoking marijuana.

The chemicals in marijuana are also linked to a higher risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation, which is a problem with how the heart beats. Teenagers who use marijuana often are even more likely to have a stroke than those who don’t use the drug.

Bones

Researchers found that people who used marijuana a lot had 5% weaker bones than people who never used marijuana.

This loss of bone density makes it more likely that you will have health problems with your bones, like osteoporosis, which can make you more likely to break a bone.

Lungs

Marijuana is usually smoked with tobacco. So all the harmful effects of both lead to lung diseases:

• Short-term bronchitis
• Continual Cough all the time
• More mucus coming up (“phlegm”)
• Not enough air to breathe
• Wheezing

Regular marijuana use is also linked to lung problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and repeated lung infections.

Cancer

People who smoke marijuana are three times more likely than those who don’t smoke to get cancer of the lungs, head, neck and mouth cancer.

If you are concerned about your or a loved one’s addiction, call +91 90008 50001 or click www.hopetrustindia.com for an online or in-person consultation with a professional.