MALANA: A discontent is slowly growing in the Valley of Gods just before the polls. The harvesting of Cannabis plant , a genus of flowering plants that include three putative varieties, is in full-swing in the Kullu Valley and thousands of villagers relying upon their livelihood on it want more than just booze and mutton feasts during this elections. They want the cultivation of cannabis to be legalized.

Leading the movement is Malana Vllage—home to the 'Malana Cream' and a place where all efforts of the local administration to persuade people to go for alternative farming have failed.

"Charas should be banned, not cannabis farming. The cultivation of cannabis should be legalized as thousands of families depend on it," said Chure Ram, deputy head of the Malana village panchayat. The first ban on cannabis came in 1928, when it became illegal in the UK as a class B drug. Most countries now consider it illegal. Although it's the quantity recovered that decides if it's for personal use or distribution/sale as the latter is an offence under the NDPS Act, 1985.

The defining charm of this village was that it was a world cut away from the rest of the world. It is a solitary village by the side of the torrential Malana river and it's only in the past two decades that the people of the village and the locals of other parts of Himachal as well as foreigners from all over the world have developed a way of co-habitation.

A popular theory about the Malanis (inhabitants of the place) is that they are the descendents of the remnants of Alexander the Great's Army. The political system of having 11 council members governing the village is a direct democracy system that is similar to that of ancient Greece. That's the reason why Malana has been named as the Athens of the Himalayas.

Cannabis fibre (hemp) is used by locals for making pulla (shoes), ropes etc, its seed and seed oil in many staple local dishes, for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug.

Maheshwar Singh, a BJP rebel leader, who has been an MP thrice and is contesting elections from the Manali seat having formed a new party, supports this demand and is promising the locals legalization of cannabis.

The genesis of the problem lies in the properties of two of its three variants in nature—Cannabis indica and the Cannabis sativa. The effects of sativa are well-known for its cerebral high, hence used daytime as medical cannabis, while indica are well-known for its sedative effects and preferred night time as medical cannabis.

The two cannabinoids produced in greatest abundance by the plants are cannabidiol (CBD) and/or 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Non-drug plants produce relatively-low levels of THC and high levels of CBD, while drug plants produce high levels of THC and low levels of CBD.

The police officials are against the proposal of legalizing the cultivation of the plant. "I say destroy all the cannabis and make villagers grow something else. They can grow apples, if nothing else," said Kullu police SP Ashok Kumar.

The people want to protect their interests since Malana Cream and other popular, yet costly varieties come from this part of India alone. This is the land of unique and superior black gold and the various other names used to define the final product coming out of the green leaves of the cannabis plant.