Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik has launched a scathing attack on actor Kangana Ranaut over her controversial 'freedom was bheekh' comment and said she seemed to be high on Malana cream (drug).
Kangana Ranaut landed herself in a massive controversy with her comment stating that India's Independence in 1947 was 'bheek' or alms. She said the country attained actual Independence in 2014 -- when the Narendra Modi-led government came to power.
What is Malana Cream?
It is the charas or hash or hashish which comes from the Malana Valley in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Charas, called bhang in Himachal, is the resin obtained from a species or strain of the cannabis plant (botanical classification of cannabis is disputed), which grows naturally in the valley and is also cultivated illegally.
The valley has a single village, Malana, and the hash resin produced there is generally more ‘creamy’, or clay-like, as compared to that produced in other parts of the state.
It has a distinct flavour, texture and smell and is considered one of the finest varieties of charas in the world, thanks to the distinct environmental conditions it grows in and the high amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) it contains.
Though hashish is known locally as bhang in Himachal Pradesh, cultivation and consumption of malana creme is not legal in India. It is derived from the resin of cannabis plants and is usually extracted by rubbing fresh cannabis leaves using hands. The implementation of the law becomes tricky in certain regions of Himachal Pradesh such as Malana where the cannabis plant grows naturally.
Cultivation and consumption of marijuana or cannabis high in THC is illegal in India. In 1985, India passed the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 1985 which criminalised cannabis in the form of buds or resin (charas) while allowing the sale of bhang - a byproduct of cannabis that is still heavily consumed on festivals like Holi and Shivratri. The sale and regulation of the latter were left up to states to decide.
