drugs in india

jennifericous

hi everyone,
just wondering if anybody has had any negative or hairy experiences buying or using drugs (mostly marijuana-im not a junkie or anything) in india.
any tips on safety? i know it would be safest not to do drugs at all.but thats not really going to happen.
thanks
Jenn xx

Merchant

If you get picked up by the police, there really is nothing your government, consulate, or parents can do for you. India's drug laws are pretty harsh.

crvlvr

Drugs are illegal in India. Search the Boards and you will find a lot of persoanl experiences. Tourists die every year in India -- mostly due to ultra pure doses of heroin. I guess its less adultrated in India than "back home" -- and when tourists ask the dealers for "good stuff" , they got what they asked for. Here are a few threads:

Personal stories of fatal trips to Goa
DEATHS in Arambol
Heroin Warning

jennifericous

thanks guys,
but im defiantley NOT doing heroin. im just talking about marijuana mostly.
maybe try a little opium once. but thats the size of it.
i know getting caught would absolutley suck 10 years minimum sentance.
is there any people in particular i shouldn;t ask for drugs. i mean do backpackers deal it? or is it indians?

ddevadatta

Jenn:

Don't even try it unless you wanna loose a good chuck of your life within the Indian prison system, which many describe as a hell hole. You sound flirtaous about this and so curb it, nip it, and simply do not do it in India.

You will not be able to post on IM from an Indian prison. Smoke that!

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jennifericous

good point.
but.....i still am going to smoke pot. im not an addict. but i consider pot a important part of my enjoyment when im travelling. im not gonna smoke it in public, but i like a little toke in private at the end of the night.
i was just hoping somebody could give me a little advice about what kinda people to buy drugs off. or about how much it costs. i understand your concerns though, and im really flattered!

Merchant

If you're a white girl backpacking around India, and spending time in Goa, people will assume you are interested in drugs. You are an easy mark for dealers and cops, and if you take a step in the wrong direction you may find youself in over your head.

India's culture and legal system can be pretty puritanical. That, and they really don't like the hippie/druggie appeal that Goa has for foreigners, so they try their best to quash it.

India doesn't consider marijuana a lesser drug than heroin, and less worthy of policing, as far as I know.

crvlvr

jennifer,

I don't think you will get any precise tips on where to "score" some on this forum. But some locations in India (say Goa) access will be much easier as a lot of tourists there are into it and dealers may approach you. But, is it worth the risk?

From amchegoa.com

"Drugs of any kind, be it hashish, heroin, grass, any kind of pills etc. are totally taboo in Goa. The authorities are very quick to catch users of drugs, hard, soft or otherwise. There is only one sentence for possession, 10 years RI (rigorous imprisonment). There is no bail for any drug offence, or any time off for good conduct. You serve every day of the given sentence. The advice is clear, even if you do smoke. DO NOT DO IT IN GOA. The Central jail at Aguada, is full of foreigners, who thought they could take liberties, and the " rumour that if you are caught, you can just pay off the police, is just that, a rumour". Despite the strict regulation, it is common knowledge that drugs are readily available in Goa, if you look around !"

2cents

Well...Well...i must say that if you are in north goa , especially anjuna, vagator side, it seems as if the opposite is true.Just slowing down your bike at the anjuna junction near 'munchies' would be enough to attract a few people offering your hash,pills etc.As for the parties at the usual spots there, anyone who has been to one must have seen the blatantly open manner in which drugs are traded.

2cents

...as for buying a bit of marijuana while you are in India, the most sensible approach would be to obtain it via one of the fellow travellers you meet on the road; ones who have done it before and know where to buy it from in various places.its possible to obtain marijuana in every town or city, but naturally its not very openly traded.the chances are high though of finding a source or being approached in typical backpacker hangouts in all the major tourist destinations.so just keeping your eyes and ears open would be enough to find a way to get some stuff.

I am not sure about the rest of India, but based on the action of the police and the narcotics department here in Kochi, they usually tolerate the small time dealers in marijuana and go after the ones dealing in heroin, tidigesic etc in a more concerted manner.Of course there are the occasional half hearted attempts at rounding up a few know small-time marijuana dealers from public spaces but they are soon back in business.
I respect your opinions about the dangers of drug use and abuse but personally, i think marijuana use is less of a nuisance and social evil as compared to the drinking problem.

crvlvr

I agree grugs are freely available. But the point is, the visitor, who sees this blatant peddling of drugs, rarely gets to see the "other side". ie, when tourists get busted by the cops.

asucka

What I read on thi thread sounds very spooky. I went to India last summer and in HP pot was virtually everwhere and everybody was smoking (the foriegners, I mean). Varanasi - the same story. Other places - not that much but still people smoke about as openly as in Russia e.g. - in private only. Does that meen all these people I saw were REALLy risking their freedom? it all looked quite acceptable.

GoanCanuck

You have to keep in mind that Marijuana is grown quite openly in most parts of Northern India and at least in the North it is an integral part of rural Indian culture.

SteveM

It sounds to me as though you are already high to be so open about drug taking...A degree of naivety I think

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2cents

True.But there are pockets where marijuana is cultivated on a large scale out in the south too.Especially in the forest region spanning the triangle overlapping the borders of kerala, karnataka and tamil nadu.