weedmania For Everyone

It is a sad fact that being a smoker in the 21st Century makes you, in some eyes, a second class citizen. We are fast becoing a minority in society, but unlike other minorites whose rights are protected by government legislation, ours have been thrown out of the window by the same government.

I read an article recently about a company who test potential new employees for nicotine, in the same way as you might test for drugs or alcohol. This is clearly a step too far. Obviously if you are blind drunk, or off your face on pills your judgment and abilty is going to be impaired, The same is not true if you have smoked a cigarette, and the idea of denying someone a job because of an enirely legal habit sickens me.

If someone was denied a job because of sex, race, age, sexuality, or religion then of course there would be some kind of tribunal. The same would not be true of the smoker not allowed to work because of his personal lifestyle choices. The company in question argue that by weeding out smokers they are able to offer better health benefits to their other employees, and that as smoking is a personal choice it is not fair to cut health benefits for people who have chosen not to smoke. Does this mean that they are also weeding out the overweight? Those who do not exercise? By the same argument those who choose to snack on cakes and crisps rather than apples and carrot sticks should not be employed, but of course this will never happen.

We have already had our right to enjoy a cigarette wherever we please taken away from us. Don’t take away our fundamental right to work as well.

The idea of smoking as a spiritual ritual dates back thousands of years, and the use of the chillum is plays an integral part of the lives of the Sadhus (wandering monks) in India, who use the chillum to smoke charas in veneration of the god Shiva.

Shiva is very commonly associated with the hemp plant; there is even an account whereby Shiva created the cannabis plant from his own body in order to purify the elixir of life. There is an association that cannabis use, while used in religious rites, is believed to cleanse sins and unite the soul with Shiva, and avoid the misery of hell in the afterlife.

Charas is the name given to a hand-made hashish, originating from Afganistan, Nepal, Pakistan and India. Despite its rich and long history, charas was made illegal in India in the 1980s, with possession carrying a ten year mandatory sentence. However, despite these draconian measures, (which have now, thankfully, been relaxed somewhat,) charas remained as popular as ever.

When smoking through the chillum, the charas would be placed in the top of the chillum, and a wet cloth wrapped around the base, to make the smoking much easier on the lungs. Before lighting the pipe, the sadhus would chant the many names of Shiva in worshipful veneration.

The smoking of the chillum is an incredibly social ritual in India, with very strict etiquette, and one which is almost impossible for an outsider to get correct the first time, however the biggest taboo would be to pass the chillum to the left within a smoking circle; the chillum must always be passed to the right.

Chillums are not the easiest way to smoke; you must never put your lips to the end of the chillum. Instead you must create a cup with your hands and draw the air heavily through this as someone else lights the pipe. This is one of the many reasons that chillums are such a social form of smoking, as it can never be done alone.