{"id":5463,"date":"2026-07-06T17:16:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/higoodhealth.com\/india\/?p=5463"},"modified":"2026-07-13T14:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T09:25:26","slug":"cannabis-health-risks-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/higoodhealth.com\/india\/cannabis-health-risks-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Ganja, Charas, Bhang \u2014 India’s Hidden Cannabis Crisis: What New Research Reveals About the Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"CANNABIS<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Nobody Tells You About Bhang<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every Holi, millions of Indians cheerfully gulp down a glass of bhang thandai. After all, it’s a tradition blessed by Lord Shiva himself. It’s been around for 3,000 years. How bad can it really be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what nobody puts on the Holi invitation: 3.1 crore Indians are current cannabis users \u2014 and 72 lakh of them already have a serious problem with it.<\/strong>nams-annals<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s not a Western statistic imported from a Netflix documentary. That’s straight from AIIMS New Delhi and India’s Ministry of Social Justice.pib<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here’s the kicker \u2014 bhang is just one form of cannabis. Ganja and charas, the forms most people actually get addicted to, are a different beast altogether. And today’s supply? Heavily adulterated, unpredictably potent, and increasingly dangerous.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t about moral judgment. This is about facts \u2014 clean, credible, and India-specific \u2014 that most health websites won’t tell you. At HiGoodHealth<\/strong>, our mission is exactly that: bust the myths, cut through the noise, and give you the kind of information that could protect you or someone you love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A 3,000-Year-Old Relationship \u2014 And Why It Just Got Complicated<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cannabis has deep roots in Indian civilization. The Atharva Veda (written ~1500 BCE) lists bhang as one of five sacred plants. Ayurvedic texts use it for pain relief, digestive problems, and even fever management. Sadhus have consumed charas for centuries as part of spiritual practice. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This cultural familiarity is precisely what makes today’s situation dangerous. We assume we know this plant. We don’t.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern unregulated ganja and charas sold through illicit markets bear almost no resemblance to the traditional preparations described in ancient texts. A landmark 2026 study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology<\/em> pointed out that unregulated Indian market products suffer from “unpredictable potency, pesticide contamination, and adulteration” \u2014 making dosing essentially impossible and clinical risk data from controlled studies largely irrelevant for Indian users. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As researcher Muzafar Riyaz wrote in this 2026 paper: “Nowhere is this disconnect more hazardous than in prohibited markets like India, where consumers face routine product variability, adulteration, and dosing chaos.”<\/em>pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Law Actually Says (Most Indians Get This Wrong)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985<\/strong> is the governing law. Here’s the simplified breakdown:lawbhoomi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n