Stop weed hyperbole

Re: “The green green grassing over of home”, (PostScript, June 26).

Ganja is closely tied to Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit and the history of ancient India. Ganja in the Hindi language is the name of a plant identified with Cannabis sativa L from the Cannabaceae (Marijuana) family, having the following synonyms: Cannabis indica, Cannabis chinensis, Cannabis generalis, in addition to being addressed with other names such as marijuana, cannabis, charas, ganja, bhang, etc. Yet it remains popular among the masses for its only characteristic — the high. Historically, cannabis has also been used in China for fibre, seeds, as traditional medicine, as well as for some ritual purposes within Taoism.

For centuries, grabbing onto clay pipes or chillums and smoking pot, the dreadlocked sadhus in India have been sharing marijuana as a prasad, or holy offering. Even today, people believe that smoking marijuana is a means to acquire euphoria; others use it to stave off worldly desires or treat body ailments.

In India, marijuana has been part of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. According to Atharva Veda, cannabis is one of the five most sacred plants. It is widely known that the Beatles, followers of the Maharishi, were very fond of dreadlocked Indian Sadhus. Deepak Chopra, a disciple of the Maharishi who pioneered transcendental meditation, mentioned that the Maharishi objected to the Beatles taking drugs at his spiritual home in Rishikesh, India. In the UK,

The Telegraph quoted Chopra as saying, “They were smoking ganja [cannabis] and taking LSD”.

All the hoopla about marijuana in Thailand is a distraction, a show that is contrary to its traditional usage and medicinal value. I wish Thai authorities would ban or control the use of tobacco and cheap alcohol. That would be something to celebrate, not the medicinal use of marijuana.

KULDEEP NAGI