It is strange that Hindu nationalists are not coming to the defence of Rhea Chakraborty on her alleged consumption of weed. Cannabis is one of five essential, even sacred, plants mentioned in the Atharva Veda.
Vedic endorsement is not the only reason why we need to consider legalising of marijuana. The ban is unnecessary, detrimental to public health, and is causing a huge loss of revenue to the government.
Many would be surprised to hear that the use of cannabis in various forms was legal in India until 1985. That’s when we banned it under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. This was part of a global push, championed by the United States. But there’s a reason why many states in the US itself have now legalised cannabis.
A 2019 study on substance abuse by the Ministry of Social Justice estimated that 2.8 per cent Indians consume cannabis. That comes to around 3 crore Indians. Delhi and Mumbai are among the highest cannabis consuming cities in the world. Those who want to put Rhea Chakraborty in jail for alleged use of weed should consider this: if the law was applied in full force, around three crore Indians would be in jail, serving a term anywhere between six months to 10 years, depending on the amount of cannabis found on them.
Also read: Rhea Chakraborty’s media trial shows Indians confuse drug addicts with criminals
What does Arnab smoke?
Call it cannabis, marijuana, hashish, hash, ganja or charas, way too many people consume it in some form or the other for pleasure. This is one of our social hypocrisies — we know it is prevalent, we know everyone who does it is not an addict in need of medical attention, and yet we don’t question the need for it to be illegal.
Like alcohol prohibition in Gujarat and Bihar, the criminalisation of cannabis is a sad joke. A recent study by Delhi-based Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy found, unsurprisingly, that most who fall victim to the law are the poor and marginalised. We rarely hear about middle-class or rich people going to jail for smoking up. They’ll get away with a bribe. Unless, of course, it is a politically motivated witch-hunt, which is what the media and the government are doing to Rhea Chakraborty.
In fact, Arnab Goswami’s style of coverage would have done more harm, driving peddlers underground and users at the mercy of unsafe options. Are the prime time hitmen of reputation smoking something stronger? Arnab can’t possibly be normal to do the item numbers he does to chase TRPs. If you think people who do weed are deranged, you should watch some prime time news one of these days.
Also read: The long list of harmful effects of cannabis criminalisation no one talks about
Regulate for public health
Nobody is denying that cannabis use can be detrimental to public health. Which is precisely why we need to legalise and regulate it — just like tobacco and alcohol. The criminalisation of cannabis has resulted in a mammoth underground cannabis economy. As a result, people often don’t know what they are smoking, how strong it is, how adulterated, how bad, how many other harmful chemicals are mixed in it. Unless of course they’re growing the Vedic plant in their backyard — not something that’s unheard of.
Legalisation would mean less stigma around the use of cannabis, which in turn will help the extreme cases get better access to de-addiction centres and support groups. Some recent success in Punjab’s war against drugs has come not by putting drug users in jail but by widely distributing de-addiction pills among them.
We need to fight the falsehood that every user of cannabis is an addict who goes on to use harder, more harmful psychotropic substances. If anything, cancer-causing tobacco is more harmful, singularly the largest cause of lung cancer. Banning cannabis with tough jail terms just because some people over-do it, is like banning alcohol just because some people become alcoholics. Not that bans work.
Also read: Weed, Ketamine, Cocaine — rich Indian teens are putting shady drug dealers out of business
GST on cannabis?
There are three kinds of economic opportunities India is missing out on with its irrational ban on cannabis.
First, many countries have decriminalised the use of cannabis. India could export cannabis to these countries and earn a lot of money.
Second, the government could earn a lot of money in tax revenue by legalising the drug. According to one study, the Delhi government alone could raise Rs 725 crore in annual tax revenue by legalising cannabis.
Third, the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy study points out that the strict ban on the cultivation of cannabis makes it difficult to produce industrial hemp — used in various sectors from construction to paper-making. India’s share in the $4.7 billion global hemp market is 0.0001 per cent.
Remember we are talking about something produced from a natural plant that has been consumed in this land for millennia. Legalise marijuana, end the hypocrisy. Something that’s Vedic and Ayurvedic, with proven medicinal purposes, can’t be banned as if it were poison.
The author is contributing editor, ThePrint. Views are personal.
At last an article which makes some sense. The CBD or THC oil are used in anti anxiety drugs, sleeping pills and anti depressants by many pharmaceutical companies which means it is therapeutic, then why ban it in a country where bhang is associated with a big festival like Holi and even Lord Shiva. This plant has a lot of beneficial properties too unlike tobacco which is addictive and far more harmful than marijuana. In northern states even hemp seeds and leaves are used to make chutney and is part of their diet.
At last an article which makes some sense. The CBD or THC oil are used in anti anxiety drugs, sleeping pills and anti depressants by many pharmaceutical companies which means it is therapeutic, then why ban it in a country where bhang is associated with a big festival like Holi and even Lord Shiva. This plant has a lot of beneficial properties too unlike tobacco which is addictive and far more harmful than marijuana. In northern states even hemp seeds and leaves are used to make chutney and is part of their diet.
glad to know that nowadays many people started to speak about the legalization of ganja in india i aprreciate your article , but why are you even dragging hindu nationalist into this and relate them with rhea ? are u telling only hindu nationalists were raising voice for sushanth’s death against rhea?
you (author) itself is a fuckin hypocrite and a narrow minded person ,to be frank a person filled with hatred should not talk about marijuana itself ,so backoff hate monger
Yes !! Finally someone that doesn’t live under a rock. But I have one concern, this Rhea-SSR issue is not the topic to discuss the legalisation NEITHER is it the issue that should make weed, pot, ganja, charas etc the freaking villain.
And the people that are calling Shivam a hypocrite, please, I MEAN PLEASE open your eyes to what is happening around the world. Almost 70% of medical drugs used in India have been derivatives of research from leading institutions like the FDA from the US and the WHO (world health organisation). So when we adopt all that research from them and you take them on a daily basis for various ailments, why not try to give some thought about a plant that has the deep roots in Hindu culture and part of Indian history and is being legalised in many parts of the world ? Not asking for legislation but for an open mind and serious thought. Just blind labelling of it as bad, comparing it murder and rape, and shooting down a article that goes against the tide……… well that’s hypocrisy at its finest
Legalise weed so rhea can smoke in peace?
Legalise murder so sushant’s murderers can chill in peace?
Legalise all the crimes so criminals can go home and continue their shit?
Dude get another because job tere se nahi hoga ye!
Dear Mr. Shivam.. you could have avoided Arnab’s name in your topic. If some one is given more attention beacause of his work you should not be jealous for that. When you put finger on him, you yourself make a rotten egg. When India is searching for a media to overtake monopoly of BBC & CNN your stupidity is seen as a seller of our country.