Beckley Briefing Paper Number 10 - Drug Policy in India - Compounding harm?

This briefing paper looks at the history of the use of psychoactive drugs in India, and particularly the use of Cannabis and Opium derivatives in religious and social rituals. The authors argue that, for centuries, such use was closely constrained by social and cultural norms, and few problems of addiction, crime or public health related to these patterns of use have been recorded.