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Title: Re-education on cannabis: The long lost Indian Culture.


Abstract: Rise in unemployment and hike in the price of medicine is a major social issue
concerning India. The purpose of this study is to re-educate people about the lost history of cannabis,
it’s uses and also the related lore and myths with it, to bring a positive perception towards this plant. By
doing case study on Great Legalisation Movement India, NDPS Act, National Drug Demand Reduction
Policy, Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO) and various other sources. It is overwhelming to learn that
without any scientific research Cannabis was scheduled as schedule one narcotic substance i.e. It had no
medicinal value. Which made it extremely difficult to conduct research that would prove that cannabis it
is not a drug but a wealth of medicinal and industrial benefits.
The cannabis flourished both for domestically and medical uses before it got banded in 1985
under the pressure of west which made us forget the ancient history of cannabis which is deeply-rooted in
our Indian culture. The lore and myths regarding it, which created a stereotype that is reductive at best.
Knowledge gained from my study and which is pinned downed as information will help a person to see
through the lens of broader standpoint of using cannabis. Which will benefit the society to open their
horizon to tons of opportunities which can be seized when the sacred plant becomes free again like the
days before 1985, such as creating job opportunities, better medical remedies, agriculture and industrial
development in our country.

Keywords: Education, Cannabis, Industrial Hemp, Medical Marijuana

Introduction
Cannabis, (genus Cannabis), genus of medicinal, recreational, and fibre plants belonging to the
family Cannabaceae. By some classifications, the genus Cannabis comprises a
single species, hemp (Cannabis sativa), a stout, aromatic, erect annual herb that originated in Central
Asia and is now cultivated worldwide. A tall canelike variety is raised for the production of hemp fibre,
while the female plants of a short branchier variety are prized as the more abundant source of the
psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient of marijuana.
There are two varieties of Cannabis plant:
1. Industrial Hemp
Cannabis is referred to as hemp when it contains less than 0.5%
TetraHydroCannabinol[THC], which makes it useless for what the plant is very famous for, the
conscious shift. (Getting High)
However, its strong fibres and generous seed production make it one of the most advanced
industrial crop in the world. Hemp is refined into products such as paper, textiles, plastics,
construction materials and bio-fuels of the highest order.
2. Medicinal Cannabis
The Medicinal version of the plant generally termed as Cannabis (infamously known as
Marijuana or Gaanja), often has a lot of THC in it. When this compound/molecules mixes with the
cannabinoid receptors which are found in our body, it delivers an unusual e xperience which our
minds tend to ‘like and crave’ or ‘fear and loathe’. This variety of the plant which is used for its
medicinal effects is referred to as Bhaang, Gaanja, Marijuana, very much, etc.
Its mind-altering effects are fuelling a popular human lifestyle across the world and people
love to burn the dried flowers from the plant and inhale the smoke it produces which contain the
vaporised medicinal compounds.
This can create various kinds of experiences which can result in being stress-free/relaxed or
having a burst of high energy and sometimes even a euphoric overload for the mind. It all depends
on the strain of the plant, the dosage taken and the tolerance of hat user for the experience.
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And two strain of Medical Cannabis


1. Indica
Indica grows short and bushy. It delivers a relaxing & calm effect on the body when consumed.
This variety of plant has a highly relaxing and sleepy effect when its compounds mix with our
blood. Its strong sedative effect is highly favoured amongst those suffering from cancer, pains,
insomnia, ADHD, bi-polar disorder, severe autism, epilepsy and numerous other medical conditions
that require the patient to be calm and relaxed.
It has the ability to heal even the most intense of physical pains. The sedative characteristic
of this strain of cannabis tends to make the user slightly lazier as their muscles are completely
relaxed. And at higher doses, any sort of physical work can feel like a herculean task. However,
regular usage of the strain builds tolerance towards the effects.
2. Sativa
Sativa grows lean and tall. When consumed, one experiences an energetic and a euphoric rush
and clarity in the mind.
This strain of cannabis has an energetic effect on the mind and body, making the user highly
alert of themselves and their surroundings. Its uplifting properties can kill fatigue and also have the
ability to heal mental disorders like depression.
When one consumes a Sativa strain, it increases focus, promotes creativity and boosts the
imagination. It also stimulates hunger, making it useful for patients diagnosed with Anorexia and
some forms of cancer (usually due to the side effects of toxic cancer treatments).

The Effects of Cannabis


1. On The Mind
Our brain is a chemical supercomputer. Any sort of chemical imbalance will lead to
disorientation of the entire mind-body function.
All the mental disorders are related to emotions and all the emotions are related to certain
chemicals that are produced in our brain. Depression, anger, fear, worry, stress and happiness are the
outcomes of the chemical production in our brain. Stress is the root cause of most of our diseases.
When we take our stress away, our body can work at maximum efficiency.
People who smoke cannabis regularly are generally very healthy on the mind as the
cannabinoids neutralise and balance the emotions in our brain. It brings peace, joy and a sense of
conscious living.
2. On The Body
Using cannabis in any form will ensure that all the medicinal compounds in the plant will help our
bodies to heal better and faster.
The cannabinoids from the cannabis plant can rejuvenate all the vital parts of the body. All
our diseases related to stress or age can come under control. Any sort of toxic overload in the body
or related damages can be healed faster as cannabinoids push our body to function at its peak level.
Our bodies have these cannabinoid receptors which, when activated, makes it functio n better
and bring it into a balanced state. And the only source for the cannabinoids to activate these
receptors are found in the cannabis plant.
The oils extracted from the cannabis flowers are so powerful at healing that many people
have already cured themselves from Cancer, HIV, Parkinson's, Epilepsy and almost every other
disease known to man.
1. Seeds
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Hemp seeds contain nutritious polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) 80%. The highest amount
found in any plant in the plant kingdom.
No other plant source provides complete protein in such an easily digestible form. The nut of
the seed can be used in breads, salads, granola/cereals, hemp milk/dairy products and protein
powder. Apart from the Nutritional values, hemp seeds can be pressed to produce oils which can
substitute fuel, lubricants, inks, varnishes, paints and cosmetics.
3. Leaves
The cannabis leaves are rich in medicinal compounds. It is one of the most important dietary
supplement as it has the powers to prolong our good health.
One of the oldest methods of using this medicinal plant was to consume its raw leaves. As
found in Ayurveda, leaves were churned and boiled with milk for oral consumption.
This traditional practice in India is the famous drink called Bhaang, which is consumed
nationwide during Holi, Shiv Ratri, Raam Navami and other auspicious times in order to bring
peace, joy and a sense of sharp clarity.
While Bhaang is consumed occasionally, the most common use is preparing hash for regular
intake, where the medicinal compounds are collected by rubbing it on one’s hands and the collected
medicine is smoked later to relieve oneself from stress and pain.
The leaves can also be used to make safe and healthy cosmetic products and medicinal
creams for skin and wounds.
4. Flowers
Hemp flowers produce all the resins and essential compounds that make this plant one of the
most medicinal herbs known to man.
These compounds can activate the endocannabinoid receptors in the human body, that are
responsible for maintaining a balanced state between the body and mind.
Archaeological surveys show that Cannabis is one of the first plants that humans cultivated.
And researchers have discovered in ancient burial tombs that the habits of smoking this plant date
back to over 4500BC.
Today, millions of humans have smoked the plant and have rejuvenated their minds and
bodies. Many of them believe that the cannabis flowers are also the spiritual tonic of life, as its
effects of concentration and relaxation swirls oneself into the depths of the mind and conscious
living.
These flowers are also known as Gaanja or Bhaang in India. India has lost its cultural touch
with the plant because now Gaanja has caught the infamous reputation of being a bad narcotic drug.
But, the world is finally realising the true powers of these flowers and there is hope.
4. Stalk
The hurd of the stalk can be used to make animal beddings, mulch, fibre-boards, insulation
and HempCrete (Organic Bio-Concrete which is made without the toxic cement)
The fibres of the stalk provide raw material to produce hemp twine, ropes, netting, canvas,
bio-composites, shoes, bags etc. The stalk has the potential to substitute fuel, paper, textiles, plastic,
construction materials and furniture.
Industrial Applications
Furniture
Hemp hurd is the soft inner core of the hemp stem. It is highly absorbent and rich in
cellulose; it can offer thermal and acoustic insulation. It can be broken down into tiny pieces which
can be converted into Fibreboards. Modern-day luxuries such as beds, cupboards, sofas, wooden
chairs, tables and ply-boards can be sourced from hemp hurds.
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Hemp Fibreboards are stronger and more durable and by adopting them, we can reduce the
cutting down of trees for making furniture.
Paper
We are cutting down trees and forests across the world to make paper from the pulp of the
wood. It takes a tree up to 20 years to mature. And just a few mins to be cut down.
Hemp Hurds can be used to make paper instead of cutting down millions of trees every year. It
doesn't require any chemical processing and can be recycled up to 7 times, which is two times more
than the paper made from wood pulp.
And most importantly, it takes just one acre of hemp fields to produce enough paper which is
equivalent to 4 acres of forests, in just 3 months as compared to 240 months (20 years) for the trees
to mature.
HempCrete
HempCrete is a stronger, lighter and more environmentally friendly version of concrete - the
most fundamental thing in our modern life. Now traditional concrete requires a lot of heat in the
manufacturing process, and to supply concrete for a global demand, a lot o f coal is burnt, which
adds huge amounts of carbon emissions back into the atmosphere resulting in global warming.
HempCrete is the future of sustainable living. It requires no heat to process or produce, and
it’s cheaper, lasts longer and is easier on the environment.
Textiles
Hemp fibres are one of the strongest fibre known to man. If it wasn’t for these hemp ropes,
no ship would have ever sailed and the world as we know it wouldn’t have been here today!
These fibres have been used throughout history to make twines, clothes and ropes. It’s
stronger than cotton, and it requires no chemicals to grow or process it. Hemp textiles are durable;
they last longer and breathe better than their cotton counterparts.
Fuels
Fuel has become one of the most fundamental need of the society today. Everybody needs
fuel to run their transport units and homes. But these fuels that we are digging up are oil deposits of
forests that existed millions of years ago. These forests that existed before breathed in all the
carbon-dioxide and upon their death, became our carbon rich oil fields which the global energy is
feeding upon.
In essence, what we are doing now is that we are using these crude oils and are re -introducing
millions of tonnes of carbon back into the atmosphere, all to meet our needs. Our carbon deposits
have created a heat trap within our atmosphere and hence the global warming!
Hemp Fuel can help. When we grow hemp to produce our fuels, the plant will generate lots
of oxygen while sucking up all the carbon dioxide from our air and we will be releasing that equal
amount of carbon when we burn them. The next crop is going to suck in all the carbon-dioxide that
we burnt before and release oxygen once again and this cycle continues forever. So the more hemp
we grow, the cleaner our air will get.
Hemp produces the highest biomass per acre as compared to any other crop. Each acre of
hemp produces up to 10 tonnes of biomass every 4 months and the stalks of hemp can be converted
into 4000 litres of Hemp Ethanol. And the seeds can also be pressed to produce up to 500 litres of
bio-diesel from every acre of land in a span of just 4 months.
And when electric vehicles become a standard, Hemp Bio-degradable batteries can replace
the current toxic lithium-ion batteries. Basically, bio-fuels are the fastest alternative to our current
fuel needs. And hemp is the most efficient crop to produce bio-fuel for the entire world.
Plastics
All our current plastic needs are sourced from the waste products of petroleum production.
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The problem with petroleum plastics is that it is non-biodegradable, hard to re-use and mainly
disposed into the landfills.
These petrochemical plastics require a lot of chemical processing during production. This
poisons the water and soil in the area of production & when plastic is disposed into the earth; it
disintegrates into micro-particles which get mixed into our underground water - meaning more
pollution.
Moreover, petroleum plastics are highly carcinogenic and can cause cancer and many other
diseases.
Plastics can also be made from plant cellulose and Hemp is the richest cellulose crop in the
entire plant kingdom. We can produce hemp plastic which is easier to recycle and also safely
disposable back into the earth. It doesn't require any chemical processing and it is the safest
alternative to the current plastic madness.
Hemp plastics are not just safe they are also super strong.1940s, Henry Ford produced a
prototype car made of hemp cellulose, and that car was pretty indestructible? And he used Hemp
fuel to run it!
Environmental Benefits
Our massive needs of consumption and our ignorance of where our products come from and
what happens if we continue to use them has collectively put our ecology into a very dangerous
situation. By growing Hemp and using Hemp Products globally, we can create a positive impact on
our environment, our health and the future of all life on earth.
 We can stop cutting down trees and forests for our luxury.
 We can use better fuels and energy sources, which doesn’t add to the mass ive carbon
levels that are present today.
 We can build better homes which wouldn’t consume too much energy to produce and
create a lot of toxic waste.
 We can wear better clothes which wouldn’t require lots of chemicals to grow and even
more chemicals to process the finished product.
 Using Hemp Graphene, we can create better batteries that function a lot better and are
less toxic to the ecology.
 Hemp plastics can replace thousands of applications immediately.
 We can create better cosmetics that will bypass all animal testing and are also
extremely healthy and medicinal to the body.
 We can create medicines which will help ease the sufferings of billions of people
around the world.

Hemp is the greatest gift of Nature to us for all of our needs.

Analysis:
Cannabis is a plant which is the arch-nemesis of all narcotics officers but is the best friend of
every college student and hippie in the world. Yet it is the elixir of life for many patients and many
customers from many different countries. Cannabis is the type of plant which we talk about in hushed
tones in our houses but at the same time we equally rival in its consumption during religious festivals.
Cannabis is a plant and a crop inherently comes with the baggage of chaos.
Cannabis has been thrived with its medicinal, spiritual and domestic applications for many
centuries, it has been used for over 10,000 years and has been used for rope, fibre, medicine, cloths.
Bhanga is mentioned in several Indian texts dated before 1000 CE. However, there is philological debate among Sanskrit
scholars as to whether this bhanga can be identified with modern bhang or cannabis.
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Historically speaking the Cannabis Hemp is much more deeply-seated and is actually being used through time
and memorial. Egyptians used cannabis hemp fibre rope, Christopher Columbus’ fleets used hemp riggings and
sails to navigate the ocean, each carried over 80 tons of hemp rigging and hemp canvas sails. In 1961,
hemp was used as money throughout America colonies and in 1776, the American ‘Declaration of
Independence’ was drafted on hemp paper. Even the first American flag, handmade by Betsy Ross, was
sewn from HEMP, and done so in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Cannabis sativa is one of the candidates for the identity of the plant that was used to
prepare soma in Vedic period. Soma was an intoxicating ritual drink that has been highly praised in
the Rigveda (c. 1700–1100 BCE).
Atharvaveda (c. 1500-1000 BCE) mentions bhanga as one of the five sacred plants that relieve
anxiety. Sayana interpreted bhanga as a type of wild grass, but many scholars identify bhanga with
cannabis. The relevant verse:
To the five kingdoms of the plants which Soma rules as Lord we speak.
darbha, hemp, barley, mighty power: may these deliver us from woe,

— Translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith, Atharva Veda 11.6.15


The five kingdoms of plants, having Soma as their chief, we address;
the darbha, hemp, barley, saha — let them free us from distress.

— Translated by William Dwight Whitney, Atharva Veda 11.6.15


The British Parliament enacted a tax on bhang, ganja and charas in 1798, stating that the tax was
intended to reduce cannabis consumption "for the sake of the natives' good health and sanity". In the late
19th century, they commissioned a study of its side effects and cultural significance. The report, which
was 3281 pages long, was prepared by the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission. The report contained
testimonies from almost 1200 people from various backgrounds—doctors, fakirs, and even army
officers. In 1894, the British Indian government completed a wide-ranging study of cannabis in India. The
report's findings stated:
“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. In all but the most exceptional cases, the injury from habitual moderate use is not appreciable.
The excessive use may certainly be accepted as very injurious, though it must be admitted that in many
excessive consumers the injury is not clearly marked. The injury done by the excessive use is, however,
confined almost exclusively to the consumer himself; the effect on society is rarely appreciable. It has
been the most striking feature in this inquiry to find how little the effects of hemp drugs have obtruded
themselves on observation.” - Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1894-1895
Aurveda too did not fail to recognise cannabis as one of the most powerful medicines on this
planet, thousands of years of history was completely being rooted into Indian history. Until, the west
decided that they cannot make easy money if this plant is let loose and they decided to ban this plant
across the world because the plant had become a threat to a lot of industries back then.
In 1930 the Head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics declared “Marijuana causes white women to
seek sexual relations with Negroes and makes darkies think they’re as good as white man’. Harry J.
Anglinger (May 20, 1892 – Nov 14, 1975) who was a supporter of prohibition and the criminalization of
drugs and notorious racists who supported the victimization of African Americans while spreading anti-
drug policy campaigns. And then the government’s intention of prohibition was nothing but to save allies
from multi-billion dollar companies. Cannabis was banded and falsely propagated as a bad narcotic drug
in the year 1937. America began a worldwide campaign against all drugs in the 60s, and while India
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initially opposed it, in 1985, Rajiv Gandhi’s government enforced the NDPS Act, banning all narcotic
drugs in India.
The Narcotic Drugs and psychotropic substances Act,1985 – “During recent Years new drugs of
addiction which have come to be known as psychotropic substances have appeared on the scene and
posed serious problems to national government. There is no comprehensive law to enable exercise of
control over psychotropic substances in India in the manner as envisaged in the convention on
psychotropic substances” to which India has accepted.
It is extremely sad to know that they have mentioned it as a new drug of addiction. Cannabis is not
an addictive thing that even scientists haven’t been able to find any receptors which actually keep craving
for cannabinoids unlike our daily coffee and other things. Cannabis is not addictive and a new drug is
extremely funny thing because India has been using this plant for almost thousands of years and it does
not pose any kind of threat to the people, not to our personal health not that to our mind but in the law
itself they define it that it poses serious problem to the national government.
The harshest by-product of that Act? Categorising cannabis together with hard drugs, like opiates
and cocaine. Today, if we are caught with a gram or two of cannabis, we can face jail-time from five to
20 years. However, the Act made a small distinction for bhang. It excluded the cannabis seeds and leaves,
when not accompanied by flower or fruit top, from its definition of ‘cannabis,’ and Bhang consumption
carries on to this day. It has been 35 years since the NDPS Act came into being, and cannabis has been
pushed further into uncertainty, with regards to legalisation, but has seen an increase in consumption
pattern over the same period. Ironically, the US started legalising marijuana in 2014 and has authorised
the medical use of marijuana in 29 out of 50 states. The effect—increased revenues, reduced crime rates
and lesser drug-related arrests.

The country that apposed the use of cannabis are now starting to see the benefit after legalization.
Like in their first year of legal pot, marijuana possession charges fell by a staggering 98 percent in
Washington state. And that’s a huge deal. Between 2000 and 2010, before weed was legalized, the state
spent $200 million enforcing marijuana laws—meaning that legalizing pot essentially freed up $196
million worth of police resources. And, yes, it has led to better policing. Both Colorado and Washington
have seen faster crime clearance rates across the board since legalizing marijuana. In 2015, Colorado
brought in an extra $135 million in tax revenue through cannabis alone.

That’s a lot of money—and most of it has gone into helping Colorado’s schools. When marijuana
was legalized, Colorado ruled that most of the new money would go into schools, and they’ve kept that
promise. During the 2015–2016 school year, marijuana taxes contributed $80 million toward school
construction projects. In 2017, schools in Deer Trail, Colorado, were given $34 million to build a new
campus and specifically credited the money to marijuana taxes, which means that the kids there got a
brand-new facility because of weed.

According to a Harvard researcher, if the entire United States legalized marijuana (and other
drugs) and then taxed and regulated their sale, it would raise an extra $106.7 billion per year. That figure
comes from the theory that the nation would earn $58.8 billion in tax revenues and save the $47.9 billion
they spend on drug prohibition each year. That would be enough money to make every college in the US
free—and there’d still be money left over to spread around.

Reefer madness has yet to set in anywhere that marijuana has been legalized. Crime, in
Washington state, is the lowest it’s been in 40 years, while Colorado has seen a 2.4-percent drop in
violent crime since legalization. But that’s nothing compared to the states further south. In the states
bordering Mexico, where marijuana trade is usually controlled by drug cartels, crime rates have
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absolutely plummeted where marijuana has been legalized. In California, legalizing pot for medical use
alone lowered violent crime by 15 percent, robberies by 19 percent, and murders by ten percent.

And, yes, that’s because the cartel is out of town. Drug-related homicides went down by 41
percent—nearly being cut in half—since medical marijuana was legalized in California. Weed, it seems,
doesn’t really turn people into criminals. If anything, legalizing weed is making the drug cartels
haemorrhage money—and might even get rid of some of them.

Moving on to the modern day behemoths like the ‘body shop’ have been using cannabis seed and
seed oil for body creams, cosmetics for the last decade or so. And in fact of the largest most popular
selling products, like Puma and Adidas use cannabis canvas or cannabis hemp canvas for the external
panelling of their shoes. The word canvas finds its origin from Cannabis itself.

So what other countries are doing? China occupies 80% of global market for hemp textile but the
largest consumers is their own army, so the PLA uses cannabis hemp based clothes, hemp shoes, sleep
under hemp sheet in rooms with hemp curtains and hemp carpets.

Austria has a grown hemp for 2,800 years for rope, paper, birdseed and caulking. Germany’s
Mercedes and BMW use hemp fibre for composites in door panels, dash boards, etc. The Mercedes C-
Class vehicles has up to 20kg of hemp in each car. Romania is the largest commercial producers of hemp
in Europe. Slovenia grows hemp and manufactures currency paper.

Coming to India, everyone has heard a little more about cannabis in India but the truth of the
matter is our history is a little more deep-seated, the mother germ plasma of the cannabis plant originally
came from upper, middle and lower Himalayas in fact even till today. Though we speak bhang in a
colloquial manner there’s actually productive use of wild cannabis where subsistence purpose villages
actually use the fibre to tie rope for cattle, to make slipper to enter temple, they use chutney to keep
themselves warm in the winter and they saw and spin their own very jacket from wild cannabis hemp
fibre.

In one of my study, I found out a guy called Rick Simpson created the high concentrated cannabis
oil extract and was using this oil in himself when he got a skin cancer and got cured. He then proposed
and put forward all this information onto the internet where people were able to access this thing and
people cured themselves all over the world.

Lila a girl from India was actually dying from a very advanced stage of stomach cancer right after
her stomach pylorus region was completely blocked with tumour cells. By the time she got the oil in her
hands she hadn’t been eating for the past 28 days and was vomiting for about 15 times a day as whatever
she ate vomited it back out. And after 3 days of using the cannabis oil she stopped vomiting completely
and within a week she was eating three meals a day. The treatment continued for 3 months and she was
declared cancer-free. Medication was provided by Viki Vaurora in India, founder of Great Legalization
Movement.

It’s overwhelming to learn and understand that cannabis oil is helping her out while the main
stream industries is actually poisoning the already deceased cancer patients using toxic chemicals such as
chemotherapy and also radiation. Many thousands of people have already cured using the cannabis oil
extract to heal not just from cancer but also from neurological disorders from muscular impurities form
autism, epilepsy and any kind of pain related issues or be it anything including diabetes and thyroid
problems and blood pressure.

So why is this plant working so well? – Cannabidiol has the highest anti-inflammatory and
neuroprotectant properties found in nature and CBD actually interacts with structures on the surface of
brain cells known as receptors and acting as the as the neuroprotectant and anti-flamatory helps to
decrease, even eliminate seizure activities instantly.
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Queen Victoria suffered menstrual pain just like the women of today (40% of American women
suffer from cramping and other symptoms due to menstruation. And more than 10% of these women are
incapacitated for 1-3 days due to extreme pains.) The monarch’s personal physician, J.R. Renolds would
prescribe cannabis to Queen Victoria in order to alleviate her pain. This evidence was found in one of her
medical journals. The uterus is full of cannabinoid receptors, a part of the endocannabinoid system through
which marijuana acts. It was believed to be the “medical wonder” as stated in her journal because it would
alleviate her excruciating pain and bloating.

Also, during the 1840’s weed was used for stomach ailments, and due to the consistent use, medical
practitioners uncovered that it’s also a great way to treat; hydrophobia, tetanus, cholera and convulsive
disorders.

The most important and exiting developments in the field of medical marijuana involves strains that
are incapable of making anyone high, opening a world of treatment for people who want their medicine
without a side effect of getting stoned like kids with seizure disorders. It is also fascinating how people just
want ‘x’ to get high. Argument is never applied to prescription painkillers which kills more than 15000
people a year in US. In India According to the ministry of home affairs, 2,381 people died due to drug
overdose in three years — January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016, with five states accounting for 53% of
all cases. While no one in the history of the world has ever died from using Cannabis .
As bhang, cannabis is still popular in India. It is also mixed in thandai, a milkshake-like
preparation. Bhang is consumed as prasad of Shiva, and is popular
between Mahashivaratri and Holi (February–March). Among Sikh Nihangs, bhang is popular, especially
during Hola Mohalla. Muslim Indian Sufis place the spirit of Khidr within the cannabis plant, and
consume bhang.
In Odisha, cannabis consumption is legal, and it is common to see people smoking chillums. Even
in Assam, where bhang has been explicitly banned since 1958, it is consumed by thousands during
the Ambubachi Mela. In 2015, the police did not stop devotees from consuming bhang, although they
fined two people for smoking tobacco in public places, under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products
Act.
In November 2015, Uttarakhand legalized the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes.
Patanjali Ayurved CEO Balkrishna stated in February 2018 that his company had begun researching the
benefits of cannabis and its extracts at its research and development facility in Haridwar, for use in the
company's medicines and other products

We need to strive for integrity in our nation’s cannabis law and a good first step is moving beyond
the marijuana monster myths peddled by the fed’s. One such myth is that it is a gateway drug, no it’s not
the gateway drug. The gateway drug theory holds that people that smoke weed are more likely to try
harder drugs but the main pushing weed smokers towards harder drugs are out black-market weed dealers
selling harder drugs.

Cannabis visibility parade is led by Ignite, MGK, Wiz Khalifa and unlucky subjects of weed busts
and I love Snoop Dogg but leaving such exceptional outliners to do the heavy lifting of representation not
only slows perception, it allows damaging lies to flourish. According to lore people high on Marijuana are
amazed by their limbs often wells slow motion speed eating Potato Chips in their friend’s room. It
involves a stereotype that is reductive at best and supports a system of diabolical lies at worst.

Conclusion
In this modern day world that is constantly adapting, it is imperative to survive. We should not
only learn to read and write but also be able to learn, unlearn and relearn, so that we could make help
people relearn something so fascinating about a crop that is so maligned. All this will do is add layer of
perception to peoples thought process and a sector in India which requires such a radical seismic shift of
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thought process in agriculture. The entire value chain are farmers themselves. To educate them about the
fact that cannabis itself is a positive crop, a productive crop and provide them the opportunity to make
their fortune and fame and their future based on this one crop itself.

It could literally change the paradigm of anything we choose to with cannabis based Materials. As
58% of India’s population whose life depend on agriculture will flourish when cannabis becomes totally
legalized in India as it was before 1985. Creating job opportunities and making medical marijuana
accessible to people who can’t afford expensive pharmaceutical based medicine.

We have been struggling in a very difficult world right now and I hope we can actually use
cannabis in the future to completely rejuvenating not just ourselves but also our society our world and our
family and friends.

Also dreaded being saddled with the stoner stereotype of having every move interpreted through
the lens of pot head label that calls up images of Mr. Magoo levels of forgetfulness and passivity
bordering on the comatose so what if use weed not to escape but engage with art and ideas, and food and
comedy series.

Educating a billion people about industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis is not a simple task. It
needs an organised workforce to get the facts across and make this movement of re-educating be a
successful journey which will resonate in each one of our lives. In short, we play a vital role in designing
a better future for humanity in our dying world.

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