That Wiki (Russian) Page on 'Weed'

Russia censoring and blacklisting Wikipedia because of cannabis articles

Charas balls and sausages

Roskomnadzor is the agency in charge of monitoring and censoring all media in Russia. To protect all the Russian minds from information that may cause upset or anti-social behavior. On April 5, 2013 Wikipedia made it's naughty list for it's article on cannabis smoking. On August 2015 Wikipedia was blacklisted and closed down for a few hours over the wiki article on charas which they claimed was propaganda promoting narcotics. They used those few hours to cobble together their own charas page for the Russian version of Wikipedia from UN articles and very old textbooks

Charas , or charras [1] ( Hindi चरस [ˈtʃərəs] [2] ; Punjabi ਚਰਸ), is a narcotic substance, pure unprocessed resin collected from the leaves and inflorescences of Indian hemp [3] . Like hashish , it contains 60-65% THC (for comparison, hash oil contains 30-90% THC [4] , in hemp stems - about 3%, in inflorescences - up to 15%, while in inflorescences of selective varietal hemp content THC can be 30%.[ source not specified 501 days ]

Terminology
In Indian [5] and Pakistani [6] legislation, "charas" refers to any resin obtained by extraction from the cannabis plant , including hash oil .
In a number of sources, the term "charas" is used as a synonym for the name "hashish" [7] or is mentioned as a local term for hashish [8] or is indicated as the name of a variety of hashish [1] .
The word "charas" is of Asian origin [9] , also called "black gold" [10] .

Collection and preparation [ edit | edit code ]
In the 1950s, the richest harvest of charas was gathered from plants in the Yarkand region in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC at altitudes from 900 to 1500 m above sea level, where natural conditions favor the growth of Indian hemp. The collection of charas on the Central Asian plateau and in Nepal was poor, and the product itself was of poor quality. In the tropics of India, Africa and Malaysia, despite the fact that local hemp is rich in narcotic substances, the amount of tar is usually too small for the production of charas [3] .

The resin harvest time is in September-October, when large bunches of flowers appear on the tops of the female cannabis plants. These flowers are collected and dried, after which they are rubbed with palms [1] [3] . Resin collection methods may vary. In one of the traditional ways, people dressed in leather clothes walk through a hemp field in the morning after the dew has fallen, wiping and breaking off the plants as they go with their hands. The resin adhering to the body and clothes is then used to produce charas and ganja. Instead of rubbing between the palms, female cannabis plants may also stomp or thresh the buds over cloth, from which the greyish-white pollen is then collected [11]. The quality of the product deteriorates with an increase in the proportion of impurities and ingress of contaminants, such as leaves and small twigs [10] .

The resulting green mass is sifted through sieves until it becomes a fine powder, resembling sawdust or sand in consistency [1] [3] . Depending on the density of the linen sieves through which the powdered mass is sieved, it is divided into grades. The highest grade is the thinnest and most saturated with resin; when squeezed, such dust sticks together into a lump; the second and third grades are coarser and less sticky [7] . The resulting substance spends the winter in rawhide bags., and in the spring it is kept in the sun for a short time, sufficient for the resin to melt.
After that, charas is aged for several more days in bags, sintering into a single mass, which is then carefully kneaded with wooden rolling pins until a certain amount of oil is released from it (in Pakistan, instead of their own oil, they use a pasty mass prepared from flaxseed, with which hemp is thoroughly mixed powder [7] ). Then cakes or very thin plates can be formed from this mass, or it remains in the form of dark brown pieces [1] . After that, charas is packed in new bags and is considered ready for sale and consumption [3] .
Usage [ edit | edit code ]

Fresh charas is a greenish plastic mass with a specific smell. During storage, it changes color to brownish-gray, hardens and crumbles, while losing most of its narcotic properties. Under ideal conditions, charas retains its highest psychotropic characteristics in the first year of storage, then gradually loses them until the end of the fourth year, when it becomes completely inactive. High temperature and humidity contribute to the rapid arrival of charas into disrepair [3] .

Charas, like ganja, is intended primarily for smoking . As the most reactive Indian hemp product, charas is the only one for which hallucinogenic effects appear regularly [12] . Due to the higher concentration of narcotic substances than ganja, charas is usually mixed with tobacco in a ratio of 1: 2 before smoking. In addition to being used as a recreational drug, charas has also been used medicinally in India, such as to relieve toothache, or added to bull feed as a tonic [3] . Charas has also been used for spasmodic cough, some respiratory and nervous disorders [13]. Until 1962, smoking charas could be recommended as a remedy for tetanus [14] . Unlike ganja and the weakest variety of cannabis drugs, bhanga , already in colonial India, the use of charas for recreational purposes was considered unacceptable, and charas smokers were viewed as outcasts [15] ; this attitude towards charas smokers continued later [7] . After independence, charas was outlawed in India and Pakistan [3] [7] .

In India, the use of charas and bhang is included in the traditions of certain social groups of the population, in particular, sadhus [16] [17] . For sadhus, cannabis is the "drug of Shiva", and its use is regulated by certain rules. Sadhus do not consider cannabis to be a substance for regular use by earthly beings, and certainly not by women. But there are "tourist sadhus" who imitate the real ones and use charas. [17] The Afridian tribe has cultivated Indian cannabis for hundreds of years as a folk remedy and, according to a 2003 study, more than 75% of their men around the age of 15 are addicted to charas, while due to local traditional restrictions, the share of users among women is low [10] .
According to former special forces officer Alexei Chikishev, in some companies and batteries during the Afghan war in the 1980s, up to 90% of the rank and file smoked charas [18] .
Consequences of drinking [ edit | edit code ]

Smoking charas has the same negative effects as other types of cannabis smoking , however, given the higher concentration of psychoactive substances than marijuana and other varieties of hashish, they may be more pronounced. In particular, in a study conducted in 1976 in India, it was shown that among married men who began using charas or ganja before marriage, sterility is observed significantly more often than among men who do not use drugs (5.7% vs. 1% ) [19] . Unlike bhang, consumption of charas and ganja results in more frequent sleep disturbances [3]. In Morocco in the middle of the 20th century, a significant proportion (up to 25%) of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals were diagnosed with cannabis psychosis . Clinical studies in Pakistan have also shown a higher percentage of charas smokers among patients suffering from psychosis than in the general population. Charas smokers show loss of motivation , apathy, social withdrawal, general weakness, and frequent delusions [20] .

In addition to mental health problems, consumption of charas also leads to long-term physical health problems . Research in the late 1930s and early 1950s found that regular smoking of charas and ganja was associated with a predisposition to chronic catarrhal laryngitis , which was associated with frequent deep inhalation of smoke; statistically, Indian users of charas and ganja also had a higher incidence of tuberculosis , although this could also be due to the fact that they were more likely to belong to the poor sections of society, in which this disease is more common. Long active smoking of charas and ganja leads to disruption of the normal process of hungry contractions of the stomach and digestion in general. The substances contained in the drug accumulate in the transverse ciliary capillaries, which leads to a high incidence of conjunctivitis among smokers of charas and ganja, as well as among chronic users of cannabis in any form (incidence rate exceeds 72%); at the same time, after the immediate effect of the drug passes, the mucous membrane of the eye becomes cloudy, acquiring a yellowish tint. In general, heavy charas smokers often appear painfully thin, emaciated, with pale grayish skin and dull, bloodshot eyes [3] .

Charas (cannabis resin) is listed in Schedule IV of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, that is, it is recognized as a particularly dangerous drug, for the control of which each of the parties to the convention may provide additional measures.

In Russia, hashish, a variety of which is considered charas [1] , is included in List I of the List of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors subject to control in the Russian Federation . Its turnover is completely prohibited, administrative liability is established for use (Article 6.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation ), for illegal acquisition, storage and other actions - administrative and criminal (Article 6.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation , Articles 228 , 228 1 , 229 , 229 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Illegal actions are recognized as committed in a significant amount if the mass of the substance exceeds 2 grams, in large - 25 grams, in especially large - 10 kilograms [21] .
Notes [ edit | edit code ]
↑ Show compactly

1. ↑Jump back:1 2 3 4 5 6 Rogatykh L. F. , Strelchenko E. G. , Toporov S. B. Combating the smuggling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic and potent substances: a teaching aid for the operational staff and departments of inquiry of customs authorities/ Ed. A. V. Savelyeva,A.A. Mayorova -St. Petersburg. :Peter, 2004. - S. 81. - 240 p. —ISBN 5-94723-711-3.
2. ↑ Hindi to English - चरस Meaning
3. ↑Jump back:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Chopra, IC, and Chopra, RN The use of the cannabis drugs in India// Bulletin on Narcotics (English)rus.. - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime , 1957. - Vol. 9, No. 1. - P. 4-29.
4. ↑ Inciardi, James A. The War on Drugs II . - Mountain View , California : McGraw-Hill Education , 1992. - P. 19 . — ISBN 1-55934-016-9 .
5. ↑ "(iii) " cannabis (hemp)" means - (a) charas , that is, the separated resin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin known as hashish oil or liquid hashish; " The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985
6. ↑ "" Charas ", that is, the separated resin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin known as hashish oil or liquid hashish". - Control of Narcotic Substances Act (XXV of 1997).
7. ↑Jump back:1 2 3 4 5 Shuaib, M. The problem of cannabis in Pakistan// CENTO Seminar on Public Health ard Medical Problems Involved inn Narcotics Drug Addiction. - Tehran:Central Treaty Organization, 1972. - P. 46-54.
8. ↑ Afghanistan: Survey of Commercial Cannabis Cultivation and Production 2011 . United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (September 2012). Retrieved: 21 August 2015.
9. ↑ Kharabet K. V. , Shamraev N. A. "Narcotic" terminology: a semantic study // Narcology : journal. - Genius Media, 2008. - V. 7 , No. 10 . - S. 77 . — ISSN 1682-8313 . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
10. ↑Jump back:1 2 3 Muhammad Hamayuna, Zabta Khan Shinwari. Folk Methodology of Charas (Hashish) Production and Its Marketing at Afridi Tirah, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan (English) // Journal of Industrial Hemp : journal. - 2004. -Vol. 9,no. 2. -P. 41-50. -doi:10.1300/J237v09n02_04.
11. ↑ Chopra, RN Cannabis sativa // Indigenous Drugs Of India. - Kolkata: Academic Publishers, 1933. - P. 84-92. — ISBN 81-85086-80-X .
12. ↑ Stanley Einstein. Beyond Drugs . — Pergamon Press (English)rus., 1975. - P. 67. - ISBN 0-08-017767-0 .
13. ↑ Touw, M. The religious and medicinal uses of Cannabis in China, India and Tibet // Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (English)rus.. - Routledge , 1981. - Vol. 13, No. 1. - P. 23-34.
14. ↑ Ethan B. Russo. The Pharmacological History of Cannabis // Handbook of Cannabis / Roger G. Pertwee (Ed.). - Oxford University Press, 2014. - P. 30-31. — ISBN 978-0-19-966268-5 .
15. ↑ Kalant, H. Medicinal Use Of Cannabis: History And Current Status // Pain Research & Managementt (English)rus.. - 2001. - Vol. 6, No. 2. - P. 80-94.
16. ↑ Jug Suraiya. India: Column: If Drugs Were Legal, Scarlett Might Be Alive . Times of India (March 14, 2008). Retrieved: 19 August 2015.
17. ↑Jump back:12 Molly Charles. Drug Trade in Himachal Pradesh: Role of Socio-Economic Changes (English) //Economic and Political Weekly : journal. - 2001. -Vol. 36,no. 26. -P. 2433-2439.
18. ↑ Chikishev A.V. Special Forces in Afghanistan. - M.: Olma-Press, 2004. - S. 304.
19. ↑ Grotenhermen, F. The Toxicology of Cannabis and Cannabis Prohibition // Chemistry & Biodiversity. - 2007. - Vol. 4, No. 8. - P. 1744-1769.
20. ↑ Ahmed, S. Haroon, and Hasan, Z. Charas abuse and psychosis // CENTO Seminar on Public Health ard Medical Problems Involved in Narcotics Drug Addiction. - Tehran: Central Treaty Organization, 1972. - P. 215-224.
21. ↑ On approval of significant, large and especially large sizes of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as significant, large and especially large sizes for plants containing narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, or parts thereof containing narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, for the purposes of Articles 228 , 228.1, 229 and 229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 01.10.2012 No. 1002 (as amended on 02.07.2015).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

standard US English compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis credit: therevverend