By Admin 
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai launches new book ‘Finding My Way’. In this, Malala wrote many of her stories, but the story of burning ganja made the headlines the most. Malala wrote, ‘My college friends were smoking ganja in a ‘shack’. He applied pressure, so I also joined him. I took a puff and suddenly my head started spinning, my heart started beating loudly. After a while, my mind went back to that van in Pakistan, where the Taliban had shot me.
So let us understand in ABP Explainer why Malala told the story of smoking ganja, whether ganja really sharpens the brain and what is the controversy over banning it…
Question 1- What is the story of burning ganja that Malala told?
answer- Malala’s new book ‘Finding My Way’ was launched on 21 October. In this Malala wrote-
While studying at Oxford University, I tried to write an essay on economics. There was a difficult question to answer. I read the question many times, but did not understand. A friend of mine advised me to take some rest. After this I left my college and reached a small building. Students used to call this building shack i.e. ‘hut’. Here one of my friends was sitting with two boys from another class. A transparent container with a glass pipe was kept in between them.
This container is a water pipe for smoking marijuana, which is also called ‘bong’. As soon as the smell of ganja entered my nose, I got the answer to my question. I took a puff of marijuana from the pipe, after which I became restless. I remembered the Taliban firing in 2012. I felt that scary incident again.
Malala wrote, ‘After that night everything changed forever. I felt the attack most closely. I remembered the gun, the blood, the ambulance. I felt as if I was reliving it all again. For once I felt as if I was in the other world.
I became unconscious after smoking ganja. One of my friends picked me up in his lap, after which I started having problems like nervousness and lack of sleep. I would often sweat and my heart rate would increase. I also had to go to doctors.
Question 2- There are many stories in Malala’s book, then why only the discussion of burning ganja?
answer- Apart from the stories related to ganja, Malala has also openly told about the problems of personal life in her book. He also included his experiences of failing in exams, dating, friendship, romance and overcoming it.
A section of social media says that Malala is abandoning Islamic values and mentioning ‘Western lifestyle’ like weed and dating to sell her book. Many people are calling it a publicity stunt.
However, on the other hand he is also being praised. American magazine ‘Oprah Daily’, in its review of the book, described Malala’s experiences as ‘a complicated, extremely strange period of adolescence’ and wrote, ‘This is Malala’s unfiltered story that gives a sense of the courage that we can all feel.’
But Malala’s book has again fueled the old debate, which has brought ganja into the discussion.
Question 3- After all, what is this ganja, which, when smoked, has a direct effect on the brain?
answer- According to medical experts, Ganja is an intoxicating drug, which is also known colloquially as ‘weed’ or ‘marijuana’. After consuming marijuana, a person forgets recent things and starts remembering old things and keeps thinking about some old incident for a long time. This creates a state of anxiety and depression. Prolonged use of marijuana can also cause mental illness. Ganja is made from a plant, whose scientific name is Cannabis.
- Hemp contains 150 types of chemical compounds, which are called cannabinoids. The most special among these are – Tetrahydrocannabinol i.e. THC and Cannabidiol i.e. CBD.
- THC is responsible for causing intoxication in the body and CBD reduces intoxication.
- Whatever we see, hear or feel through the brain, the brain does it through neurons. There are cannabinoid receptors on these neurons, that is, places where cannabinoids go and stick.
- Some people get a kind of pleasure after running, which is caused by anandamide. When someone smokes marijuana, THC mimics anandamide and reaches the body through the bloodstream.
- THC has the greatest effect on the parts of the brain that have the highest number of cannabinoid receptors.
According to many organizations and medical research like America’s ‘National Institute of Drug Abuse’ (NIDA), about 30% of the people who consume marijuana for a long time may develop marijuana use disorder i.e. addiction to marijuana. If its use is started before the age of 18 years, the risk of addiction can be up to 7 times higher.
Question 4- Is ganja more dangerous than charas and cannabis? How is it made?
answer- Bhang, charas and ganja are made from the same species of plant ‘Cannabis’. These three are psychoactive drugs, which directly affect the brain.
- Ganja: It is specially prepared by drying the flowers of the plant and its smoke is taken for intoxication.
- Cannabis: It is made by grinding the leaves of the plant. It is consumed by mixing it with beverages or converting it into dry tablets for long-term use.
- Charas: It is prepared by collecting the resin or sticky substance of the plant, which is mixed in beedis, cigarettes etc. or smoked alone through smoke.
Question 5- Then why is there a ban on selling ganja in India?
answer- In 1961, under a convention in the United Nations i.e. UN, Cannabis was put in the category of narcotic substances. In November 1985, Rajiv Gandhi’s government passed the Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. According to this…
- Production/cultivation, purchase, transport, store and consumption of narcotic and psychotropic substances were banned. There are a total of 6 chapters and 83 sections in it.
- In the NDPS Act, the use of different parts of the cannabis plant was declared legal and illegal. The law defines the flower of the plant as marijuana, the use of which is a crime. For this reason the use of marijuana is also illegal.
- The hemp plant was not considered illegal, but was brought under government purview to control its sale. Without a license from the government, bhang or thandai made from it cannot be sold commercially.
- Violation of the law related to cannabis plant or marijuana can result in imprisonment ranging from 1 year to 20 years and a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
However, there is debate regarding cannabis and the drugs made from it whether it actually has any negative effects or not.
Question 6- Is there freedom to smoke ganja in other countries of the world?
answer- Cannabis is completely banned in about 100 countries around the world like China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Sweden, Kenya, Bhutan, Singapore, Malaysia. Despite strict laws and millions of efforts like anti-drug campaigns, there is a huge illegal trade in ganja and other narcotic drugs going on in Latin American countries like Venezuela, many small countries of Africa and from America to India.
At the same time, there is no ban on hemp or cannabis in countries like Germany, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Georgia and America. However, it can be used and sold within certain legal limits.