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Before I answer this question I must make it absolutely clear that there are no references to lord Shiva smoking weed in any Hindu scriptures and even though I once came across a particular version of Shiv Puran which claimed lord Shiva consumed cannabis (the text was from an unknown publication) but even that unauthentic copy said lord Shiva once ate the leaves by chewing there's no mention of lord Shiva smoking weed. However, I must also state that Marijuana does hold an important position in scriptures.

I) MARIJUANA IN SCRIPTURES:

The Atharva Veda is the scripture to first mention the Marijuana plant and slightly describe its benefits. The Atharva Veda Book 11 Hymn 6 verse 15 which states that Marijuana is one of the five best sources of Soma. However, one thing must be made cleared before we progress further into the article is that Soma does not mean alcohol contrary to popular propaganda but rather means the essence and source of medicine that causes bliss, purifies and enlightenment and often as the very source of enlightenment as per multiple veidic scriptures to quote a few are the Rig Veda Book 1 Hymn 91 verse 22; Book 9 Hymn 24 verse 7, Hymn 37 verse 36 and Hymn 108 verse 3. Now having understood what's Soma and what's its link with Marijuana, one thing is cleared that Marijuana can used as an enhancer by spiritual people and warriors. The Sanskrit term used for Marijuana is Bhanga which comes from the root word Bhajyate which means to cause a break. Marijuana is called so because it causes a break between stress and our spiritual self as will be clear from the next points.

II) USES OF MARIJUANA IN SANATAN CULTURE:

Marijuana has a long history of use in Ayurveda and is classified as a Upavisha which means its semi-toxic and must be used only after proper refinement. The Bhavaprakasha which is a book on Ayurveda mentions the various names used to refer Marijuana and the benifits of it in verse 205 stating that Marijuana is known by the names like Ganja, Vijaya, Jaya and Matulani (not to be confused with the Sanskrit word for aunt, the word here means hemp) and describes its medical properties such as increasing libido, sense of taste, hunger, sleep, digestion, thinking and speaking capacity and also reducing excessive mucus secretion however the fact that it can cause intoxication is also mentioned. This makes it an excellent remedy for multiple diseases and disorders and it has indeed been used in multiple Ayurvedic medicines to cure various diseases and as stated in the earlier point, Soma is a master medicine that can cure most of diseases either alone or when mixed with other substances.

III) MARIJUANA CONSUMPTION:

As stated earlier, Marijuana is a source of Soma medicine and hence it necessarily must be purified and consumed according to the process laid down by the scriptures. Though, there are various works of Ayurveda that deals with the subject, all of them have taken the Vedas as their primary sources and simply stated it in simpler language in their work. Since I always try to cite primary sources provided they are available, in this case also I would do the same. The Satapatha Bramhan Khanda 1 Section 6 Bramhana 4 verses and Rig Veda Book 9 Hymns 1-9 states the process of preparation, purification and use of Soma stating that the herbs used must be collected at night, tied in a cloth and first held under flowing water then boiled in water, then the juice passed through seives and finally when the juice is golden in color, the juice must be boiled by mixing with pure milk obtained from cows and then consumed in the form of liquid. One thing must also be noted that all the various medicines in which Marijuana is used, this same process of filtration with the only exception being the juice is mixed with other compounds first and often available in various forms such as tablets and also as liquid, however all Ayurveda experts prescrib even those preparations to be consumed using boiled milk. Another important thing to note is that throughout the Vedas, the food and water which is good for the various cattle has also been described stating the herbs, trees and other food of cattle that grows in pure environment without any pollution and is fresh when consumed by the cattle is extremely necessary, some references to this being the Rig Veda Book 5 Hymn 83 verse 8 and the Rig Veda Book 6 Hymn 28 verses 7-8 which emphasize on special treatment and care taken to ensure that the food consumed by cattle and especially cow is pure and healthy.

IV) CONCLUSION:

Marijuana is not a taboo as considered in the present era, however, despite being a very important medical plant and extremely significant in Sanatan Dharma, there is a specific way to harvest and consume it which can not be violated. Also, as stated earlier, all the Ayurvedic scriptures which deals with Marijuana states it to be a semi-toxic substance and even an intoxicant which clearly implies that if it is consumed using any wrong methods, it will cause more harm than good. What defines an intoxicant as per Ayurveda which is the subject we are dealing with here is the Sharngadhar Chapter 4 verse 21 and the Charaka Samhita Chapter 24 verse 40 which states that the substance which destroys intellect is an intoxicant and that being said its clear that one who aims to use Marijuana as an enhancer would not want to get intoxicated on it. Hence we should refrain from using it unless we do so in the right way and under the right circumstances.

JAI VEERBHADRA JAI SHANKARACHARYA

Shiva and Cannabis

1. There is no mention of Shiva smoking Cannabis in scriptures. But surely there is mention of him drinking Halahal vish.

2. Shiva consuming alcohol and smoking are all allegorical aspects of him depicting him as the GOD OF DEATH. It does not mean that lord Shiva is smoker or alcoholic, it only shows that the lord is in the state of intoxication (Cenotaph) and far away from society.