Charas is the name given to hand-made hashish in India and Pakistan. It is typically grown in the Himalayas and is an important cash crop for the locals.

History of charas

Charas has long played an important role in the Indian culture and was venerated as being one of the aspects of Lord Shiva. Charas has been used for thousands of years, and was even sold in government shops (along with opium) in the days of the British Empire. It was as much part of Indian daily life as chai or chapatis.

Despite this long history, charas was made illegal in the 1980's and draconian sentences were introduced. Even the mere possession had a mandatory ten year prison sentence. These laws have now been somewhat relaxed, however Charas has been known to be a popular medium for police to extort bribes from consumers of the drug.

Even at the peak of the crackdown, Charas was still popular and it remains so today, especially amongst Indian sadhus. Many smoke it in clay pipes called chillums and before lighting the chillum they will chant the many names of Shiva in veneration. The government even imports a ton of charas for the sadhus during the Kumbh mela, or festival of the holy men.

Today the best place for travellers to smoke charas is Manali and its surroundings in the northern mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh.

Charas was first exported illegally by professional drug dealers like Henry de Monfreid. Today many backpackers support their travels by smuggling some home with them to sell in the West.

Local cultivation

What among connoisseurs is considered the best Charas grown in India comes from the mountains, especially in Kashmir. For this reason the place has become very popular with backpackers and those involved in drug smuggling. The best charas is made very high up away from the police and is known as 'cream'.

Cannabis grown in high altitude conditions is known to be particularly strong. Potency can be related to natural selection of wild strains in harsh conditions. At high altitudes the ultraviolet radiation is strong and Cannabis exposed to ultraviolet radiation produces substantially more THC (the main mind‐altering compound). It has been suggested that THC is produced as a defense against short wavelength ultraviolet light.

Charas is made by rubbing ones hands through the flowers and is long, tedious work. The resin sticks to ones palms and by the end of the day one has harvested perhaps 8 or 9 grams of charas. The faster one works the lower the quality of charas. Hence to make 'cream' it is necessary to go very slowly and it is only possible to make a few grams a day.

This ancient art is disappearing under the pressure to capitalise on the domestic and international market for charas.

Effects

Charas is typically smoked through a chillum and although tobacco is also mixed in the effects can be very strong, even occasionally psychedelic. It is much purer than regular hashish in the West though and as such a steady charas smoker may get through 10 grams a day. This weight is approximately a 'tolla' and at source will cost around 5-10 dollars, depending upon the quality. Cream, which is of higher quality, will cost about 20-30 USD in India.

The effects are similar to regular Hash and Marijuana which is available in the west but the content of the active ingredient THC is generally close to that of high quality sinsemilla. Users report a strong dream-like experience where a feeling of warmth and relaxation is experienced. Users often become very laid back and relaxed. Strong feelings of hunger (called 'Munchies') begin after smoking. A person can be recognised as a 'Charsi' (person who regularly uses Charas, referred to as a 'pot-head' in the West) by their glazed bloodshot eyes, heavy eyelids.
In Pakistan Charas is sometimes called 'Gardaa' and is available in large but relatively thin (approx 1 cm) A4 size sheets from herbal shops or local sources. Gardaa has a pungent spicy scent and is malleable into any shape, most commonly into small balls. It is most commonly smoked in 'joints' created by removing tobacco from a cigarette, mixing the crumbled charas with the tobacco then refilling the cigarette with the mixture.