Bhang on Holi: If You Must Have it, This is What You Should Know

Bhang side effects include paranoia, bad hallucinations and even short term memory problems.

Get high on Holi, not Bhang!

(Photo: iStockphoto)

Advisory: Don’t have bhang this Holi. Just don’t. It ain’t worth it.

BUT, if you do decide to go ahead and consume bhang, ignoring our warnings, keep these very important points in mind.

Before we get to the advisory, let’s decipher bhang for you.

Too caught up to read? Listen to the story:

Bhang, marijuana, hashish and other psychoactive drugs own their origins to the same Cannabis Sativa plant. The plant itself comes in many varieties depending upon where it is grown. Marijuana, also called ganja in India, is a mixture of dried flowers of the plant. It is usually smoked in various forms.

Bhang is made from dried flowers and leaves of the same plant. It is mixed with milk, water, spices, and is consumed mostly as a drink. Remember superstar Amitabh Bachchan swaying to Khaike Paan Banaras Wala from the film Don, and gulping down glasses full of Bhang Lassi or thandai? Precisely that.

Bhang Doesn’t Just Give You a High

Thandai is often mixed with bhang during Holi celebrations.(Photo: iStockphoto)

While bhang may give you a high, it can be quite a downer as well. Some side effects include:

• Paranoia (panic and fear)
• Bad hallucinations
• Lack of concentration
• Lack of coordination
• Short term memory problems

Now, is bhang legal? It’s tricky.

Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, clearly lists cannabis as a narcotic drug. However, it only prohibits use of certain parts of the plant, leaving out the leaves, from which bhang is made. Some states also run government-run shops from where bhang can be procured in small amounts.

Growing cannabis is still illegal and can attract a jail term of upto 10 years, but processing leaves of the plant is not illegal.

If You are STILL Going to Have Bhang...

• Don't drink on an empty stomach, unless you like puking your gut out.
• Don't mix it with other types of alcohol. Bhang by itself is more than enough.
• Don't drink it if you have heart disease, high blood pressure.
• Make sure you keep yourself well hydrated. Bhang can be dehydrating. On top of it, you are going to be out in the sun.
• Drinking bhang is much more powerful than consuming it in a brownie or a ladoo. So, limit your intake.
• Do not drink and drive
• Sleep. You’ll need it.

Or, as we said in the beginning, just don’t have it. Have a happy and safe Holi.