511
an hour; when the intoxication is wearing of, it
makes him rakish, and the inclination for a second
drink comes on him. But the habitual consumer,
being accustomed, will not smoke again. For in-
stance, one may smoke cheroots as often as he
pleases during the day ; he may smoke once or ten
times.
I enter here a couplet written by some poet at
some time.
" Charas, pila gurgyan ghala aur bij ghala waka
ander ka;
Sukh sukh lakar ho jawa, munh howa jaise
bander ka."
(A charas-smoker loses religious wisdom imparted
by the guru, and vitality. He is reduced to a
mere skeleton, and face resembles a monkey's.)
45. The effect of ganja and charas is hurtful
both physically and mentally; that is, a charas-
consumer under the influence of the drug has no
beauty in his face, or has the appearance of having
been beaten. And how can he be moral as his
company is worthless and very low?
A man that keeps straight, an abstainer, at the
age of fifty or sixty, is equal to a charas-consumer
at forty. At first, beyond the age of thirty, which
is the prime of life, the blood dries and the diges-
tion is impaired, and on account of bad digestion
the appetite will be injured.
This dees not cause dysentery, bronchitis or
asthma, but on mixing with tobacco, provided it is
Calcutta tobacco, bronchitis and asthma are brought
on. Charas alone docs not bring them on, but
it is generally thought that charas-smoking brings
on these diseases.
Consumers have no moral sense for this reason
that charas company is extremely low, and that
company loses its senses and polish. There is
no laziness in the intoxicated state; but when
the effects are wearing off, the habits of im-
morality are acquired from bad company as well as
not. A smoker who has smoked charas for
fifteen or twenty years if he goes to a woman, will
surely be injured in some way, because it deadens
the power. In youth, on account of intoxicants
the pleasure is doubled. It deadens the intellect
and produces insanity in this way, that if a moder-
ate consumer who has not had any for a day or
two, for some special reason, and if in the heat of
June he has travelled ten or fifteen kos, and acci-
dentally meets charas-smokers, and the chillum is
well filled with charas, and the traveller takes a
pull, and the charas smoke affects the brain
slightly, he will in a short time become insane
temporarily ; but if he is treated he will be cured
in the cold weather. If the brain is seriously
affected, then he will gradually recover. But if
he again smokes it, he will after some time from
his recovery be again affected in the hot weather ;
specially if the brain is too much affected, death
will at once ensue. For instance, if any living
thing is confined in a place excluded of air, it will
at once die ; in this way it is very harmful for the
smoke to get to the brain.
It is not difficult for a person who is suffering
from anxiety or from brain diseases to go mad.
This matter is natural, and more cannot be said
about it because many weak people smoke it and
nothing happens, and strong people become insane.
46. Ganja excess has the worst effect of all.
47. The habit is not hereditary, and seldom
affects the children; in large cities there may be
three or four habitual moderate consumers; if such
children are intoxicated at an early age, it is an
easy matter for them to go mad at some period,
because all his strength is lost and he becomes
weak.
48. Of these drugs, even excessive bhang con-
sumption does not produce insanity.
49. The moderate use is an aphrodisiac. Very
poor prostitutes use bhang, and lose shame with the
object of pleasing their friends. Owning to modesty
I cannot explain more. It produces impotency.
50. In my opinion charas and ganja would be
better than bhang as an aphrodisiac, and is more
injurious.
51. Perhaps there are some bad characters, other-
wise they are of average good character. They are
called badmashes for this reason only, that our
children may fear them and avoid the company.
Perhaps they do commit some general or special
crimes.
53. Nothing can happen from this drug. It is
another question if a man is frenzied and shouts
that he will murder seme person ; such a clamour
is a frenzy. There is no fear of homicide.
54. It is never taken at all with this object, nor
do consumers when intoxicated have sufficient
audacity.
55. Complete insensibility can never take place
without an admixture.
56. Prior to the Mutiny when Thuggy was ram-
pant, the Thugs used to become acquainted with
the charas and ganja consumers, and they would
find out the road to be travelled at that place; one
or two Thugs would fill their chillums and smoke;
the traveller arrived at this spot is offered the chil-
lum, as it is a custom among charas-consumers that
the smoke is offered without payment; the traveller
takes a pull when the other Thug says " Come let
us fill another." Now dhatura is mixed. The
traveller gets the chillum first; he immediately be-
comes insensible, and the Thugs are successful and
make off.
57. In my opinion no one eats ganja, but charas
is eaten for the following-:—
(1) If any person who has never consumed
charas gets asthma, then he profits by a mod-
erate consumption, for this reason that it at once
knocks out the phlegm and clears the chest.
(2) It is a good heat producer.
(3) It weakens the brain power.
58. The present system of excise administration
is good in some places and bad in others. The
reason is that in some districts the sales are held for
the whole district, in others shop by shop, and
tahsilwar. By this the revenue to Government is
injured in this way that the shop license-holder sells
his store to unlicensed vendors of neighbouring
districts. The big thikadar is ruined and the small
shop-keeper gets a trifling profit. At the time of
the auction the next year, the district where the un-
licensed vend took place shows an increase of less
than a hundred rupees for Government, but in that
other district there is a decrease of thousands of
rupees. There are many reasons for the bad
system. If uniformity was observed in giving
zilawar contracts, then the system would be excel-
lent, or the contracts might be given by shops.
There is lots of room for improvement.
59. There are two modes of improvement: by
one system, by the increased sale of narcotics, the
income to Government would be increased, and year
by year for twelve years there would be enhance-
ments ; under the other system the sale of intoxi-