Zoo Station

I have been in favour of legalization of Marijuana for the longest time, especially in India, where a very large proportion of the population uses it anyways under religious pretenses during various festivals (remember the bhang-laced lassi?). Of course, it makes no sense to keep marijuana illegal anywhere when far worse addictives like tobacco and alcohol are available freely. Not that I am suggesting banning alcohol and tobacco either; I just think it should be up to the individual to decide. And to the extent that these drugs impose externalities (violations of the harm principle), they should be regulated and taxed accordingly. Sauvik of AnarCapLib has an op-ed in the TOI today making a similar point. He makes his argument while relating a personal encounter with cannabis sativum up at Devprayag. And he's right, outlawing cannabis in India is as absurd as German parliament banning beer.

At the confluence, I was met by a solitary priest. He asked me if I wanted to offer a puja, and I agreed. I tossed some grains of rice and some flower petals into the Ganga and said some mantras. I then paid the priest some money. That is when I decided to perform 'an experiment with truth': I inquired of the priest: "Panditji, main is pavitra sthaan mein ek chillum peena chahta hoon. Aap kuch intezaam kar saktay hain?" Translated: "Respected priest, I would like to smoke a chillum at this sacred spot. Can you make the necessary arrangements, please?"

The priest immediately turned to some caves higher up the mountain slope and shouted, "Bhoothnath! Oi Bhoothnath!" Soon a tall sadhu with dreadlocks emerged. The priest told him to get me the needful and within no time Bhoothnath and I were blowing chillum after chillum at the extremely sacred spot. The priest kept sitting by himself in peaceful contemplation while Bhoothnath and I smoked. The point is this: Cannabis has always been an integral part of our culture, unlike alcohol. If I had decided to open a bottle of beer at the confluence, no doubt the priest would have thrown both me and the bottle into the Ganga. There are no words for "Cheers" in any Indian language. There are a thousand salutations to Shiva used when lighting a chillum. It is a shame that our democratically elected legislators have outlawed the one way of getting high we can truly call Indian. It starkly demonstrates the break between state and civil society.