If India had not been part of the British Empire, cannabis probably never would have been banned there. The use of cannabis has been firmly rooted in religious rituals both in Hinduism and the Sufi tradition, and has been used as medicine, widespread recreational drug, and food in the subcontinent for over 4,000 years. Virbhadra Singh, Prime Minister of the Northern Indian Himachal Pradesh Region, expressed his understanding of cannabis in a 2011 interview: “It is part of our culture, our religion and our thinking process.”
The centuries-old process in action
Himachal Pradesh is the region in Northern India where the traditional Indian Charas Hash is rubbed off the plant by hand. The larger cities like Manali, Kullu or Kasol are popular tourist destinations included in nearly every published travel guide. According to Indian newspaper reports, in order to supply the large number of tourists visiting from all over the world with the most coveted agrarian product of the region, local farmers and traders have created an unofficial digital delivery service for hashish.
The “service” works as follows: Visitors share a local photo on Instagram with a hashtag like #Kasol or #Manali which suggests they’re staying in the region. The visitor will then receive a follow request from a local account and a private message that reads: “I can deliver to Chandigarh, but that will cost Rs 500 per tola extra. We can send up to one kilogram as the post department guys can pack that much in such a way that it won’t be detected.” After the funds are transferred via WhatsApp, the hash is sent by Speed Post and the deal is cut and dried.
Padam Chand is the superintendent of the local police in the town of Kullu, and he does not seem too concerned with the cannabis trade in his region. Chand commented on the digital enterprise for the Hindustan Times, “Look, charas (cannabis) is sold here and is sent outside too. That’s a fact. And we constantly work on curbing it. We did get some input about such manner of selling [via social media] some months ago, but nothing much came of it. Maybe these people are duping people. We are on it.” Of course, the Instagram accounts mentioned in the article went offline after the news spread throughout India.
Cannabis in India
After three failed attempts by the British Crown in India to ban cannabis over the course of the nineteenth century, the British commissioned a study on the damaging potential of cannabis. The 1894 report of the “Indian Hemp Drugs Commission” stated that:
Viewing the subject generally, it may be added that the moderate use of these drugs is the rule, and that the excessive use is comparatively exceptional. The moderate use practically produces no ill effects … The large number of witnesses of all classes who professed never to have seen these effects, the vague statements made by many who professed to have observed them, the very few witnesses who could so recall a case as to give any definite account of it, and the manner in which a large proportion of these cases broke down on the first attempt to examine them, are facts which combine to show most clearly how little injury society has hitherto sustained from hemp drugs.
As a result of India’s independence in 1950 and the historic role of cannabis in the region, the Indian delegation opposed the classification of cannabis as a hard drug in the UN’s Single Convention in 1961.
In addition, the UN also granted India a 25-year transition period to wipe out the recreational use of cannabis. Due to this negotiated term, the possession of cannabis flowers and hashish have been punishable according to the Indian Narcotics Act since 1985.
Because of the tradition during Holi, a religious event in February and March where common bhang (cannabis) consumption is practiced ritually by followers of the goddess Shiva, and because it is also part of many Ayurvedic medicinal preparations, the holy drink and its production were excluded from the narcotics act. Although buds as we know them fall under the Narcotics Act, state-licensed bhang stores are permitted to grow cannabis and process the dried seeds, leaves and buds together with fruits, herbs, and other ingredients for Bhang-paste.
Due to cannabis’ historical role, cultural value and omnipresence in some regions, there is hardly a country where the prohibition of cannabis is so contrary to the national tradition as in India. Thus, a legalization movement, which would be quite influential with the neighboring countries, could be established on the subcontinent.
The “Great Legalization Movement” has already organized several Medical Marijuana conferences and invited Rick Simpson to speak in India. Last month, Rising India Inc. declared their intention to invest in the development of medical cannabis products as the first Indian company to do so.
Despite the 1985 ban of recreational and medical cannabis, due to the traditional use as a recreational drug and as a medicine, the forbidden plant will likely survive a fourth attempt of its prohibition within the last 200 years. As soon as a legal frameworks is available to open up new opportunities, India, a country with over one billion inhabitants and a thousand-year-old cannabis culture, will become one of the most important places for legal cannabis culture and the international cannabis market.
credit: marijuana.com