In fact, there are more than 1,000 slang terms for the humble cannabis, a plant that can be used in various forms. But in India, its most common avatars are the trinity of bhang, ganja, and charas.
Bhang is a paste derived from grinding cannabis leaves and stems together, while ganja—or weed—is more potent and made from dried flower buds of the plant.
The earliest reference to cannabis is contained in the fourth book of the Vedas, the Atharvaveda, which refers to it as one of the “five kingdoms of herbs that release us from anxiety.” Its uses are also mentioned in the Sushruta Samhita and the Bhava Prakasha.
As a Holi staple, thandai is made by boiling a mixture of milk, sugar, cannabis, poppy seeds, pepper, ginger, cloves, cardamom, almonds, pistachios, nutmeg, and rosebuds.
One such story describes the frightened soldiers of Guru Gobind Singh when confronted by a wild elephant with a sword pierced in its trunk.
Given our ancient Indian connections with cannabis, I wonder why this herb has sparked so much debate and outrage in recent times.
So, the big question is this: Why don’t we legalise cannabis and tax it like alcohol and tobacco? After all, India earned a whopping Rs 1.75 lakh crore in 2019-20 from taxes on alcohol.
For beer, it is around five per cent, wine is at 12 per cent, vodka is at approximately 40 to 45 per cent, and whisky is at around 40 per cent.
The Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016, Air India’s privatisation, the GST Law, the Jan Dhan-Aadhar-Mobile trinity, labour legislation, agricultural reforms, the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the Gati Shakti Master Plan, and rationalised telecom policy are examples of that.
Noah Sweat, a judge, law professor, and representative in the Mississippi legislature was once asked about his position on whiskey.
Ashwin Sanghi is the bestselling author of The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant, The Krishna Key, The Sialkot Saga, Keepers of the Kalachakra and The Vault of Vishnu.
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