[This review was published in The Tribune on 12th Jan. 2025]
BOOK REVIEW- "ANANDA- AN EXPLORATION OF CANNABIS IN INDIA" by Karan Madhok.
ON THE CANNABIS TRAIL
This is a rather unusual book, grafted on the back of the author's travels in elevent states in pursuit of his research on the cannabis plant and its derivatives- ganja, hemp, bhang, hashish and charas. Most of us have a nodding, if not sniffing, acquaintance with cannabis but know little about its botanical structure, origins, history, economics, legality, religious connection or medicinal value. Karan Madhok has dug deep to educate us on these aspects, but in a manner which is personal, anecdotal and sometimes humorous.
We learn that the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is a chemical called THC, and the higher the THC the more potent the drug. The plant consists of the stem and the flower, it is the latter that contains the highest concentration of THC, from which the hashish and charas are produced, and hence banned in India. The stem has a very low level of the chemical, from which bhang and ganja and hemp are derived and these are legal. The hemp is used for making ropes, baskets, footwear, clothing etc. and is an important part of the economy of the Himalayan villages such as Malana in Himachal, whose Malana Cream is acknowledged to be among the finest in the world. There are also the Idukki Gold of Kerala, Sheelavathi of Odisha and Koraput Purple of the Andhra-Odisha border. Whether in its potent or weaker form, cannabis has been used for centuries for medicine, recreation, nutrition, and has a deep connection with religion.
The United Nations estimates that 4.3% of adults consume cannabis, it is the most widely used, cultivated and trafficked illicit substance in the world. But states are ramping up the pressure to legalise controlled cultivation of cannabis for medicinal, scientific and industrial purposes and to amend the NDPS Act. Uttarakhand has already done this to some extent and Himachal too has passed a resolution to this effect in September this year. Such a measure could revolutionise the economies of these states and create huge employment opportunities in agriculture, processing and transportation sectors.
Supported by statistics and independent studies, the author raises a pertinent point: is the state justified in spending humungous amounts of financial, administrative and judicial resources in enforcing the NDPS Act on drugs like cannabis? Is this even serving any purpose? The kingpins of the drug cartels are never caught, it is only the "foot soldiers"- the impoverished farmer, the carrier, the middleman- who are convicted and imprisoned. The Act gives the police and other agencies a blank cheque to harass and extort money (as in the Aryan Khan case) and breeds corruption. The draconian prohibition of these milder and organic drugs is driving the youth to harder, more dangerous, chemical formulations; (the author points to the epidemic of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is reportedly responsible for two thirds of drug related deaths in the USA and is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged eighteen to forty nine). And finally, he argues, this harsh policy is also depriving the state of billions of dollars of revenue, and denying livelihood opportunities to the poorest farmers in the most backward, forested and hilly areas where the plant thrives. We should learn from the USA where half the states have already legalised cannabis, and a state like California earns about US$ 6 billion (Rs. 50000 crore) annually by licensing its use and consumption.
For me the most interesting part of the book is where the author details the connection between ganja/ bhang and India's syncretic culture and religion. For, as he puts it brilliantly, "much like the Indian constitution, cannabis is secular" and representative of the "Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb."
Religion: cannabis is associated with all major religions of India- it is extolled by Persian poets as a "heavenly guide", considered by some Muslim sects as the embodiment of the spirit of the prophet Khidr in whose honour the Sufis consume it; in Tantric Buddhism it is extolled for its medicinal powers; the Sikh Nihangs refer to it as Sukha prasad and it is consumed during the Hola Mohalla festivities (even though Guru Nanak is supposed to have opposed its consumption). It is almost at the core of Hinduism, associated with practically all its major Gods- Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Balrama, Hanuman, Jagannath in one way or the other, and its festivals-Holi, Khumb, Shivratri, Vijaya Dasmi, Trinath Puja. It is offered to the Gods, or consumed in many forms, at many major temples across the breadth of the country.
Food: bhang is to be found in many of the favourite dishes/drinks in many states- ice-cream, laddoos, gajar ka halwa, suji ka halwa, Christmas plum pudding, pakoras, panipuri, rosogolla, majaun (a confection enjoyed by Babur).
Bollywood: the Zeenat Aman song "Dum Maro Dum" in the film Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1973) has become the cannabis anthem for the nation, defining the nous of a whole generation. Since then the association has stuck with the Hindi film industry, for better or worse, through Aap Ki Kasam (Rajesh Khanna, 1974), Silsila (Amitabh Bacchan, 1980), Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwanee (Deepika Padukone, 2013), culminating in the drug related controversies of Sushant Singh Rajput and Aryan Khan. As the author observes, we have a Janus faced attitude to cannabis- we both worship and villainise it, there's a thin line between spirituality and sin!
Madhok also gives us a thumb-nail account of the history and geographical spread of cannabis, beginning with Columbus arriving in America wearing a hemp jacket! We learn that more than fifty nations have legalised or decriminalised the plant for medicinal and industrial purposes, and are reaping the benefits in terms of revenue, tourism, reduced alcohol consumption, employment and treatment of various chronic diseases. There is a huge global market for hemp products ranging from textiles, furnishings, construction materials to ropes, paints and plastic substitutes. India is not even a player in this market, with its share of the global trade at just 0.0002%. He cautions that if we do not quickly revise our NDPS centered policy on cannabis we shall miss this bus completely. Small beginnings have been made- there are about one hundred start-ups in areas such as ayurvedic medicines, wellness centers, restaurants, textiles etc.- but this is not even scratching the surface of the vast potential that this, our very own Indian plant, offers.
The author's final message? That it is time to reclaim the cultural, religious and medicinal heritage of cannabis as our own, before it is expropriated by other countries. We have to look back to look forward, he says. But is anyone listening?
The legal cannabis market contributed an insipid $711 million to the Indian economy in 2022 - a negligible fraction of the country's current $3.5 trillion GDP. The U.S. cannabis industry generated a speculative $33 billion in the same year, with projections suggesting it could reach $50 billion by 2030. Once again, uninteresting figures given the scale of the US economy. Additionally, this data remains unreliable due to the fragmented regularisation across US states, and the grey market nature of the drug trade.
ReplyDeleteFrom these unreliable numbers, one is compelled to wonder if it is genuinely worthwhile to legalise cannabis - or other opioids - in India, and throw open the floodgates of addiction and associated ailments upon the population, much of which is supposed to be young and aspirational. And implicitly poor.
With a per capita income of roughly $2,700, how much could this industry - if accorded legal status - realistically boost India's GDP, and at what cost? Legalisation could empower the very illicit networks that currently dominate the trade, transforming ruthless cartels into respectable, employment generating enterprises under the arch of legitimacy. Meanwhile, consumers - many from economically pressed backgrounds - could find themselves trapped in an inextricable web of addiction and debt.
Cannabis cultivation for medicinal use is well documented, and its consumption in religious rituals is comprehensively chronicled by Avay Shukla, who highlights its role as a cultural unifier in India’s diverse social matrix. Yet, in a nation where financial and educational deprivation is stunning despite the Prime Minister’s grand proclamations of prosperity, commercialising a psychoactive substance for lawful consumption may be more debilitative than progressive. Backing the author’s stance warrants caution, more so if the backer once enjoyed vantage within the corridors of bureaucracy.
The arguments in favor of legalisation invariably stem from an elite perspective, as evidenced in the effort of Karan Madhok. In a sample reading of his book, the author acknowledges his financially sound origin that propels him to trudge into remote landscapes in the pursuit of his philosophical and hallucinatory axioms of bliss. But should such theories influence national policy and law making - is the question. If upliftment of the economy is the ultimate national priority, then those coming from this punditry may consider legitimising the oldest profession in the world, before embarking on the perilous and inestimable route of legalising drugs.
Like Boswel's biography of Dr.Johnson , the book review by Avay ji evokes greater interest.
ReplyDeleteI admit I have not read the book but I feel a cost - benefit approach has been attempted in the book as well as in its review. Missed earnings of revenue and cost of law enforcement (both in real terms of dollars) have been matched against an inestimable and therfore a notional cost of allowing open and free consumption of
cannabis on the health of the addicts and the attendant social consequences. The Prohibition policy for consumption of liquor and its effect on poore sections of our society should serve as a good example in the case of policy for cannabis too.
This captivating book review brings back an instance where cannabis rescued us from embarrassment. We had invited some army friends to my father's place in naldera which normally remained locked and was handed by a caretaker. When we traced to reach naldera with the food before our guests we were confined by a lock. I frantically called my brother who had a spare key. He informed me that the caretaker was spread eagled on the highway having consumed a fair quantity of liquor with cannabis! Providentially our guests had a true burst episode and were stranded for an hour before mobility was restored. Suddenly I realised we had left the kneaded dough behind! Luckily my brother had just bought his rations and we had Chik pea flour too. The guests arrived and as snacks I decided to serve cannabis pakoras as it was growing on the premises. After consuming those pakoras there was total bliss in the atmosphere. Whether lunch was served or not became a minor consideration and the party went down as "fantastic" in our collective memory!
ReplyDeleteOh what an amusing use of cannabis! I change my tack - legalise it.
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