With many arguing it is high time to change marijuana laws, the government begins cracking down on cannabis.
Lighting up in Kolkata. Timothy Neesam. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Every village in India is sure to have it. Everyone will know a friend or a friend of a friend who uses it, even if they don’t use it themselves. Whether a local rickshaw driver or a Bollywood starlet, every social class seems to enjoy its relaxing qualities. Some religious leaders even tout its effect on transcendental meditation. The police, however, are ramping up efforts to expunge it from India. The substance: marijuana.
Despite occupying a prominent role in Indian society for centuries, the consumption of marijuana is highly stigmatized. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) began cracking down on its use by targeting Bollywood stars caught in the act. Actress Rhea Chakraborty spent a whole month in jail after investigators discovered she had procured weed for her then boyfriend. Her private messages have endangered the careers of many other stars. Deepika Padukone is now under suspicion; he discussed “doob” over WhatsApp.
A sign prohibiting marijuana use. henrikj. CC BY-NC 2.0.
The NCB has much on its plate if it wishes to flush the drugs out of Bollywood. A-list celebrity Ranvir Shorey said in an interview that drugs are part of Bollywood culture, not because denizens are depraved but because drugs, especially marijuana, are ingrained in Indian culture. He noted, “I think drug consumption in Bollywood is the same proportion as it is generally in society” and that the stigma against weed is a “colonial hangover” based on “laws that are hundreds of years old and have not changed.”
Even older than these laws are the many traditions of cannabis use. The earliest mention of it comes from the Hindu Vedas, which extol both its medicinal and spiritual properties. It describes the god Shiva puffing smoke to contemplate the mysteries of life and death. Following this example, religious ascetics eschew materialistic pleasures in pursuit of a meditative life, sometimes aided by marijuana. On the flip side, soldiers would often imbibe it to muster courage before battle, much the way European soldiers would swig whiskey. From antiquity onward, cannabis played a prominent and socially welcomed role in many aspects of life.
Indeed, British imperialism helped to initiate the decades-old disdain for pot. When colonization first began in the 19th century, cannabis was often a farmer’s most profitable crop. Food was grown mainly for sustenance. To sell it, however, farmers were forced to navigate an expensive, labyrinthine process of taxes and licenses. Hoping to turn a profit, farmers smuggled cannabis instead. When imperial courts began prosecuting smugglers, cannabis acquired a criminal association.
If social attitudes toward weed are a colonial hangover, India’s laws are a neocolonial imposition. In 1961, the United Nations’ Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (SCND) classified marijuana as a “hard drug” in an effort to address drug abuse worldwide. The convention did not respect the innumerable traditions centered around marijuana or the purported evidence that its moderate use caused no harmful side effects. In India’s case, it did leave a loophole for bhang, a milky beverage infused with cannabis that is consumed at some Hindu holidays.
An authorized bhang shop. Tom Maisey. CC BY 2.0.
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 fulfilled the stipulations India agreed to in the SCND. It spelled out the fines and prison sentences faced if one is caught using or selling pot. Coming at the height of the Western world’s war on drugs, it is viewed by some as an example of the rich world’s sensibilities determining the domestic laws of poorer nations.
No law seems likely to stop marijuana’s consumption, though. According to one 2019 survey, 3% of Indians—31 million people—consumed a cannabis product in the past year. Bustling cities offer weed connoisseurs a wide array of dealers to choose from, and almost every rural village houses at least one seller, whether a seasoned dealer or an enterprising local, to provide a high. When police catch a smoker in the act, they can easily be bribed.
Two sadhus, religious ascetics, smoking marijuana. kehworks. CC BY-NC 2.0.
Consumption habits will likely prove stronger than the moral questions about marijuana’s use. So long as India’s pot consumers include Bollywood stars and religious leaders, rural farmers and stressed-out office workers, the coalition is nearly impossible to beat. Mumbai and Delhi consume 70 tons of cannabis a year. The NCB simply cannot confiscate that much product, so its efforts may all go up in smoke.
To read more about the controversy around the word “marijuana” check out our article here.
Michael McCarthy
is an undergraduate student at Haverford College, dodging the pandemic by taking a gap year. He writes in a variety of genres, and his time in high school debate renders political writing an inevitable fascination. Writing at Catalyst and the Bi-Co News, a student-run newspaper, provides an outlet for this passion. In the future, he intends to keep writing in mediums both informative and creative.