Getting High in India for Holy Celebration

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It seems that a portion of the population in India have sparked a debate on marijuana. Devotees of Shiva, a Hindu deity, believe that marijuana is the “food of the Gods”, used in meditation and as medicine. For India’s more socially conservative, and generally believe more rational, the religious reference is considered another excuse to partake in drugs.

Mahashivratri, a holy celebration to pay obeisance to Shiva, involves a tremendous amount of banned substances, such as marijuana, and what locals call bhang.

Celebrations in the country even included baked goods containing marijuana. Those opposed to marijuana in the Indian celebration, believe that “getting high” does not have to be part of the spiritual celebration, and typically it is frowned upon.

The negative media attracted by all this consumption of bhang or marijuana, helped bring religious figures out, in the defense of marijuana. Head Priest Sridar Mishra stated when speaking of the deity Shiva, “bhang and datura are his favourite foods. It is an integral part of our culture, so why hide it away from it or even create a charade.”

This all begs the question, do the marijuana users have a better spiritual understanding by smoking and ingesting it? Turns out the folks in India think so…