Drugs on the Road

“No chiilum, no chai, no charas, no high” Getting stoned in India in the name of god and culture.

Charas is the hand-rolled hashish of India and is an integral part of the country’s ancient culture. It’s considered sacred to the popular god, Shiva and the sadhus that follow him smoke charas in veneration.

Whilst it used to be sold in government shops possession is illegal and may result in draconian prison terms. In fact, until recently it carried a worse sentence than murder.

The police will not generally arrest someone caught smoking charas but will instead try to scare you a but before taking a large baksheesh. You’ll never see them hassling a sadhu though.

Charas is sold in tollahs which is a weight of rougly ten grams. In the Himalayas you might be able to get a decent tollah for around $5-10. The prices double once you get to Goa.

Because of its purity travelers often build up a good tolerance and may end up smoking 5-10 grams a day.

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