A Brief History of Marijuana Prohibition in India

And why it should be reversed at the earliest

Photo by Sam Doucette on Unsplash

Cannabis is banned in India because it, like almost every nation, is subject to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs which was an offshoot of the US outlook on the use of any form of cannabis.

It can all be traced back to the derangement of one single man. This racist asshole — Harry J. Anslinger.

Henry Anslinger, courtesy Turner Images

Johann Hari, a journalist for The Influence, did a wonderful piece on how one man’s obsession led to the worldwide banning of a substance that is harmless, had been used for centuries in all major cultures, has proven medical benefits, and led to the incredibly overdrawn and expensive US war on drugs. A few are below.

In 1929, a man called Harry Anslinger was put in charge of the Department of Prohibition in Washington, D.C. But alcohol prohibition had been a disaster. Gangsters had taken over whole neighborhoods. Alcohol — controlled by criminals — had become even more poisonous.

So alcohol prohibition finally ended — and Harry Anslinger was afraid. He found himself in charge of a huge government department, with…