Doc's blog #1- Malana, The Cannabis capital of India! Arguably best hash in the world!!!

drkewalmd (39)in #cannabis • 7 years ago (edited)

Hey steemians and cryptofreaks!! Let’s talk hash… No, not the bitcoin mining hash but the other one that is all the rage nowadays!

With Mexico legalizing weed and medical marijuana becoming more popular in the USA, it has stirred a lot of debate in form of health, moral and legal controversies. For this article let’s just put the boring stuff aside and get into where you can get arguably the best Ganja in the world!

Malana

A centuries old village in the state Himachal Pradesh in northern India, nestled between the Himalayan Mountains in the Parvati Valley. Cannabis is almost the single thing on which the local economy relies despite the illegal status in India. Cannabis cultivation was initially legal in India and it has been incorporated in Indian Hindu traditions since centuries, especially among the devotees of Lord Shiva, sadhus of north India, Aghoris among others. Occasional socially acceptable public use of cannabis is still prevalent in the festivals of Mahashivaratri and Holi.

India finally gave in to the international pressure and made it illegal in 1985. I have lived in Himachal Pradesh for 3 years and the tourism cannabis brings in there is still substantial. Enthusiasts from all over India and other countries especially Russians and Israelis flock the hill stations in my observation. According to an Israeli tourist, it is their tradition to visit India after their mandatory military service to chill and unwind. And why the hell not, India is colourful, flavourful, rich with myriad of cultures and most importantly dirt cheap!!!!

The process starts with the fresh local grown high quality marijuana buds which are rubbed with hand to extract the resinous extract called charas.

This charas is sometimes falsely sold as the Malana cream which the purer form supposedly containing >40% THC. A popular way of consuming it is drawing a streak of the Malana cream on a regular cigarette and a couple hits should be enough. Or just go for a joint or chillum.

There have been numerous stories of foreign tourists settling down in the village for the sake of the high quality stuff.

How to reach:

The village used to be four days hike form the nearest roads in the past. Now it is relatively more accessible. It is an hour’s distance from the nearest towns of Jari or Kasol which are turn is just about an hour’s drive from the nearest airport in Kullu. Still you can expect some road blocks and landslides in the monsoon months as elsewhere in Himachal.