that this account may stimulate further research before the tide 
of modern civilization sweeps away all folklore. Many more 
isolated Himalayan niches remain to be visited for data. A 
combination of folklore and modern tools of research in biol- 
ogy, biochemistry, and anthropology will surely result in a 
wealth of information. Investigation on Cannabis and biologi- 
cal problems associated with it have not yet received the sup- 
port and attention warranted by their immense potentialities 
for human welfare. International and national efforts must be 
made to understand basically this plant of such great signifi- 
cance. Further, the Himalayas are untapped, representing a 
relatively virgin field for folklore and scientific endeavors. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
I wish to thank Professor Richard Evans Schultes, Director, 
Botancial Museum, Harvard University, for his advice and 
encouragement during the course of my studies. Thanks are 
due the Government of India and the various State Govern- 
ments in the Himalayan area for permitting me to conduct 
research on Cannabis; inhabitants of the area studied for their 
generous help; Abha Kapila and Naveen Kapila for acting as 
guides. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Bouquet, R.J. 1950. Cannabis. Bulletin Narcotics 2:14-30. 
Chopra, R.N. 1933. Indigenous Drugs of India. The Art Press, Calcutta. 
Chopra, I.C. & R.N. Chopra. 1957. The use of Cannabis drugs in India. 
Bulletin Narcotics 9:4-29. 
Darmesteter, James. 1883. The Zend-Avesta. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 
England. 
Dutt, Udoy C. 1900. The Materia Medica of the Hindus. Dwarkanath 
Mukherjee, Calcutta. 
Indian Hemp Drug Commission Report. 1893-94. Simla, India. 
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