Bhole Baba's Prashad & My Experiences

I don’t know how or when or why I got the idea of writing this post. But now that I have written it despite braving threats from some of my dear friends & took a day to decide whether to post or not, I would go with the affirmative. Else I would have to spend a day, again, trying to think what to write.

For the past few days, I have been trying to modify the contents of this blog – I was bored with the travel stories. So I decided to write about something that relates to my social life out here in College hostel. This is the (perhaps undesired) outcome…

For the past one week, I was involved in a very serious project. Totally scientific!!!
I wanted to experience the effects of Marijuana. & not just the easy ones!!

Call it pot, weed, grass, ganja or any one of the nearly 200 names, it is by far the world’s most commonly used illicit drug. Ganja has been around for a long time now, its source, the Hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, was being cultivated for its psychoactive properties more than thousands of years ago – the Hindu god of destruction Shiva is said to have a penchant for it. The scriptures detail about him consuming it day after day!!

So after some initial research about its effects, which included reading a few research papers, it was clear that Cannabis use is much less dangerous than tobacco, prescription drugs & alcohol in physical & social harms as well as addiction (UK Govt Report on Cannabis, 2006). Cannabis has extremely low toxicity & the amount that can enter the body through the consumption as smoke poses no threat of death. Fair enough, it does have some side effects - short term memory loss, hallucinations, chronic use can lead to a number of lung diseases, including cancer. However moderate use over a long duration does not impair bodily functions in any manner.

Duh, even it had some serious side effects, I still had to experience it. Despite the hordes of friends who can anytime attest to its psychological & sensational effects, I just had to try it for myself. That’s me, who would jump down the rabbit hole just to see what is on the other side. So I, along with some friends (who do not want to be named, all for good reasons) bought off some “maal” from a local dealer (who definitely would do good not to be named).

Marijuana & other cannabinoids are usually smoked, sometimes in a pipe (chillum), or water pipe (bong), but most often in loosely rolled cigarettes (joints) or sliced open cigars (blunts). Moreover marijuana can also be brewed into tea, or mixed with baked products (cookies!!).

The Chillum

After practising with small amounts for 4 days, I had some of the little pleasures associated with Marijuana consumption – it tends to induce a sense of well-being & a dreamy state of relaxation when taken in moderate doses. Many of my “well-practised” friends informed me that Cannabis increases memory & learning powers by stimulating the brain. This however is disputed by researches which claim Cannabis decreases short term memory & harms the brain. Though I am aware that several of my college toppers take “maal” regularly, I am still not sure as to what to believe, they were already toppers when they came here!! There is no solid evidence that smoking weed creates any greater benefits than medications, & anecdotal assertions of benefits are yet to be ascertained by medical research. So I will stick to the “not sure” position. The only common thing I could till now claim to have experienced was the extreme hunger following ganja (it is a known fact that ganja produces a greater craving as well as enjoyment of food taste & aroma) & the impression of long elapsed time, even though the clock’s arms had only moved a short distance (may be this was because I felt it was taking a long time to process the raw ganja & for me to get a high out of it). 

Back to my experiments, with the help of a buddy who has the gift of mixing potent brews & making deadly joints, I was on my way to get “out” for the first time in my life by the 5th day. & little does the Fly know what lies in store for it before entering the Spider’s lair… A mild hallucinogen, Ganja’s effects are generally felt within a few minutes of consumption & peak in 20-30 minutes, they include dry mouth & throat, increased heart rate, impaired coordination & balance & delayed reaction time. One of my friends crushed the leaves into what looked more like oregano to be sprinkled on pizza, & then even finer still, till it looked much like soil. Mixed with some water & fed into chillums, we were ready for the actual consumption now, which was simply inhaling as much smoke as possible & holding it in the lungs as long as possible. 

Oregano??!

Grooving to the beats of Bum Bhole Nath (by Bob Marley – a tribute to Lord Shiva), the first chillum went easy, the second was quick & then a little mischievous joint was on the line. Two puffs & until now normal me was out gasping for air. Coughing soon gave way to blackouts & yours truly was out, totally, literally, & what a painful yet strangely unique experience it was. I could see my concerned friends hovering around me while I lay on a bed, & I could listen to my own heart, beating wild to its own song, like a mad horse running to its own course. Cannabis tends to increase heart rate by 20-50 beats/min, enough to increase heart attack risk by 5 times (the same as vigorous exercise or sexual intercourse, implying I should not be disturbed & yet I was all panicky). The heightened sensations ensured each of my body organs had a mind of their own. My head throbbing as if someone was jerking me violently to-&-fro, & my fingers & toes doing a little kathakali now & then. At lower doses cannabinoids tend to stimulate locomotion, but inhibit it at higher doses. That fateful day I finally experienced the sensation so wonderfully unique to ganja – the Free Fall – where one feels as if falling down from a never ending cliff, made all so real by the feeling that air is blowing violently around one’s ears. Marijuana constricts one’s breathing, which is aggravated by continuously drying throat. After 2 hours of agonizingly strange sensations & ever increasing panic, but mostly a feeling of losing control, I fell asleep, bringing to an end what was a rather colourful night. Come morning, I woke up to remember the previous night when one of my seniors remarked he was not even sure if I would wake up the next day, it was only later on that I read that Marijuana’s short-term effects wear off within 2-3 hours (though the drug itself will show up in urine test 3-4 days later). I still don’t have the words to describe the whole turn of events – disaster/fun/accident/stupid??

Bottom line, my first experience with Ganja was totally awesome, especially thanks to some friends who were in command, But I would definitely advise newbies to practise moderation, have someone to carry you when you pass out & do not get addicted!!! (yes yes marijuana does not cause addiction, but it does cause a psychological dependence, users have a hard time limiting their use, & more of the drug is needed after sometime to get the same effect).

Now it is time to abstain, till the next time!! ;)

WARNING TO THOSE WHO OMITTED CONSIDERING THE ILL EFFECTS, WHILE READING THE ABOVE TEXT: Regular use of Marijuana can decrease sperm count in males, & disrupt menstrual cycle & inhibit ovulation in females. You wouldn’t want that, now would you??