Cannabis and psychosis: revisiting a nineteenth century study of ‘Indian Hemp and Insanity’ in Colonial British India

Background In nineteenth-century British India, concern regarding large numbers of asylum patients with ‘Indian Hemp Insanity’ led to establishment of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission. The exotic cannabis plant was widely used in pharmacopeia and a source of government revenue. The Commission was tasked with determining the public health risks of cannabis use, particularly mental illness. This analysis of the Commission report seeks to highlight...