Pubdate: Thu, 27 Feb 2003
Source: Telegraph, The (India)
Copyright: 2003 The Telegraph
Contact: +91-33-22368169
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2836
Website: http://www.telegraphindia.com/
Author: Terry Friel, Reuters

BHANG ON TOURISTS' PLATE IN JAISALMER

Jaisalmer, Feb. 26 (Reuters): Rajesh Vyas loves his job with a
passion, always uses his own product -- and sincerely promises you
will not turn into an orange or see pink elephants.

 From a small wooden hut near the gate to the 850-year-old Golden Fort
in Jaisalmer, one of the country's most popular tourist draws, Vyas
and his brothers sell marijuana. Legally.

Vyas' customers munch, slurp and smoke their way through about 30 kg
of bhang every month in yoghurt drinks and fruit juices, cookies and
chocolate, cigarettes and sweets, tea and sandwiches.

"Do not anticipate or analyse, just enjoy," advises the menu."You will
not see pink elephants, jump off tall buildings or turn into an
orange. You will remember most of your experiences in the morning."

Vyas insists bhang, also called vijaya, is safer and better than
alcohol and induces a mild euphoria and sense of well-being, eases
pain and is not addictive.

"It's natural, it's not harmful to the body. It's part of our
culture," he says, weighing a 20-gram clump of green chocolate that
will sell for about Rs 400.

Bhang is made of dried and ground cannabis leaves and is far weaker
than products made from the plant's buds and resin and is legal in
parts of the country, where it has a long tradition of use for key
religious festivals.

But some health experts warn it can be addictive and say long-term
abuse can impair concentration, increase frustration and diminish the
ability to carry out complex tasks.

A mild hallucinogen, bhang is illegal in a few parts of the country
and in others, available only through tightly-controlled
government-licensed shops, which buy from official suppliers. Its use
is widely tolerated during major celebrations such as Holi.

Vyas runs the only legal outlet in Jaisalmer, a tourism-dependent city
of about 60,000, with two of his five brothers.

"The Brahmins have been using bhang in puja and to help them meditate
for thousands of years," Vyas, himself a Brahmin, adds. "It's a gift
from God." Bhang is used as an offering at temples and is used mostly
by common people during one or two key religious festivals.

It is also used by people like auto-rickshaw drivers to help them cope
with long hours of tedious and difficult work.

"It depends on the person," says Vyas."If you want to sleep, you
sleep, if you want to work, you work. After this, you can do what you
want. It gives more power to the mind."

Vyas' customers vary from locals whetting their appetite for dinner to
foreign backpackers and women tourists from different parts of the
country daring to try something different away from the strict rules
of home. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake