178
our climate; an organ upon whose normal func-
tional activities the nutritive processes so largely
depend. The evil effects of bhang-drinking I
have never met with amongst habitual consumers.
In connection with this subject, I have to draw
attention especially to the form of thandai which
is consumed so largely in these provinces. This
I maintain is perfectly harmless, and decidedly
beneficial in moderate doses. In a concentrated
form, especially if adulterated (which is not
uncommonly the case) with dhatura seeds and
other noxious ingredients, is certainly noxious to a
considerable extent. Thandai is, I believe, less
harmful than drinking tea. The Chaubes of
Muttra and Brindaban and Pragwals of these
provinces consume enormous, and often incredible,
quantities of the drink daily, and they get never
the worse for it. On the other hand, more than
three ordinary cups of good strong tea daily is
very apt to disturb the function of the stomach,
and not infrequently tell injuriously upon the
heart and the nerves. Tobacco smoking, when at
all excessive, frequently causes a sort of dyspepsia
and a sort of nervousness in good many people.
It cannot be said so of thandai drinking.
On these grounds, if not on any other, I
consider it would be cruel and unjust and a wrong
policy altogether to deprive by any means direct
or indirect the people of India of the use of the
drug, Since human beings in any climate or age
will take to some form or other of narcotics and
stimulants, do what we may by way of legislature,
it is not at all wise—on the contrary, unjustifiable
—to suppress such practices when they are harm-
less and most probably beneficial.
Besides, there is another very important con-
sideration in this connection. Bhang is about the
only narcotic (or stimulant) which the better
class of Hindus, and especially the Brahmins, use
on some religious ground. Every other form of
narcotic or stimulant is prohibited more or less
directly by the Shastras or custom. This is one
reason among others that they drink bhang so
largely. Smoking tobacco is considered irreli-
gious by several sects of Brahmins, but bhang
finds amongst them a sort of religious sanction.
Evidently, therefore, it would be a serious de-
privation if these habitual consumers of bhang
have to forego the use of the drug. To deprive
them is to force them as surely to take to some
other from of narcotic or stimulant certainly far
more harmful.
Similar grounds cannot be urged in favour of
ganja and charas. Ganja and charas smoking is
unquestionably more harmful than thandai-drink-
ing. Their evil effects are too numerous and
frequent to be weighed against the few advantages
it possesses.
Ganja is unquestionably about the cheapest
narcotic and stimulant obtainable, and, as such, is
very suitable for poor people. It is difficult to
find another as cheap and at the same time as
narcotic and stimulant for the poor labouring
millions of India. Cheapness of ganja is its only
recommendation and advantage, but against this
we have to weigh the numerous and undoubted
evil consequences.
The poor, if actually deprived of ganja, will try
to take to some other form of narcotic. Next to
ganja, bhang comes cheaper, and, possessing
sufficiently stimulating and narcotic properties, in
some respects similar. Its preparation is no more
elaborate, though it takes up more time than to
prepare a chillum of ganja. It is the most likely
drug which the people deprived of ganja will fall
back upon. There is one very tempting ready-
made drink which in this supposed case will be a
formidable rival, as even now it is—I mean the
country liquors. Every possible care should in
that case be taken to render these ardent spirits as
inaccessible to the poor as possible. Bhang will
then, as a matter of course, monopolise the place
of every other narcotic and stimulant in the
absence of the ganja as far as the poor labouring
people are concerned. This in my opinion would
be a much more desirable state of things than
what is to be met with in India. A similar
instance of the use of so many potent narcotics
and poisons is to be seen nowhere else.
35. I consider it feasible enough to prohibit
the use of ganja and charas, except medicinally,
provided bhang is untouched. I consider it
necessary at the same time to render the country
liquor as inaccessible to the poor people as possible.
It would be certainly better to stop their use
altogether if possible. This, of course, opens up
a very wide issue of the question into the details
it is needless here to enter into. I do not think
any serious discontent is likely to be occasioned by
the prohibition of ganja and charas. The idea
appears to me quite ridiculous to suppose that
there could be any political danger arising out of
the discontent consequent to such prohibition.
37. Charas differs from ganja more in degree
than in kind as regards its effects.
Charas is said to render the head dull (an after-
effect) and induce laziness.
38. Pathar ganja is said to be very noxious in
its effects. The round, flat and chur or broken
ganja make no difference.
Oral evidence.
Question 1.—I am not in the Government
service. I am M. B. of the Calcutta University,
and after taking that degree I went to England
and obtained the membership of the Royal Col-
lege of Surgeons. I have been practising in
Allahabad since 1885, and am still practising, and
have been in municipal employ since 1888. My
municipal duties are only connected with analys-
ing water. I have had no experience of lunacy.
Question 34.—I think that the drugs taken in
the raw state, which is what I mean by "concen-
trated form," are noxious. I should think adul-
teration with dhatura is common in shops where
bhang is sold as drink. Such shops only supply
the prepared drink, and do not deal in the drug in
any other form. Regarding the alleged adultera-
tion with dhatura in such shops, I cannot say that
I have tested my information, except that I have
heard it from different quarters. I consider ganja
and charas very injurious, and I should like to
see restrictions imposed on them if there were not
the risk of driving the people to other and worse
drugs. I have not, however, been able to consider
the whole subject and make up my mind about it.
Question 45.—The cases I have described in
this answer did not come under my professional
observation, and I am not able to say that there
may not have been other causes contributing to
the insanity than the hemp drugs, I did not
know any of the cases before the insanity occurred,
and I have no personal acquaintance with their
previous history. They are cases which their friends
attribute to ganja, and in which I have no evidence
to contradict the alleged cause, and therefore I
accept their statement. I still have the impres-
sion that these cases are good instances of insanity
due to ganja as one of the exciting causes, the use