57
about a maund or so is prepared in each district,
or rather that it would be one or two maunds, bub
certainly not more than three maunds for the three
districts taken together.
Question 29.—I have heard of fakirs and
sadhus eating dhatura, but not smoking it with
ganja. It is eaten as an intoxicant. It is not a
common habit. It is when the supply of opium
falls short that people will take dhatura. Dhatura
may be smoked, but I have never heard of it.
Question 35.—Wild ganja is used for smoking
to a small extent. It is only used when the supply
of what is privately grown runs short. Then the
people go to the jungle and get the wild plant.
The wild plant is lets intoxicating than the home
grown. The former, however, produces a whirling
of head which makes people prefer the home grown.
This ganja is much less intoxicating than the
Bengal ganja. That is more intoxicating, but it
does not produce the whirling or pain in the head,
which is produced by the wild ganja. The ganja
grown in the houses here is less strong than the
Bengal and stronger than the jungli ganja, but no
Bengal ganja comes here. I have met it in Banda.
Charas is of several kinds, some more intoxicating
than others. The Bokhara charas is sold at about
R1 or R2 per seer to the vendors ; formerly
it was R2 to R4. The Kumaon charas is
sold at double the price. The retail price of the
latter is about R16 a seer, and of the former
about R8. The Bokhara has less flavour and
more headache than the Kumaon charas. I do
not know that there is any difference in intoxicat-
ing power. The Kumaon charas is more liked.
If the Bokhara (or Punjab) charas is raised in
price by putting on a duty, the consumption of the
Kumaon charas would not be affected, because it
is hard to get.
I think the amount of 'ganja grown in the
houses of Philibhit and Kumaon is about two
maunds, not more. There is no rule against
growing it in the compounds of houses.
Question 37.—The home and the jungli ganja
are both more injurious to the lungs than charas.
1 have seen this. I have seen, spitting of blood
from the use of ganja. I do not refer to Bengal
ganja, of which I have no experience.
Question 70.—This answer refers to the Banda
district particularly.
39. Evidence of M. ZAINULABDIN, KHAN BAHADUR, Deputy Collector, Agra.
1. I have had experience and knowledge of
hemp drugs by visiting certain villages in
different districts during the time I held offices
as Munsarim, Head Munsarim of Settlement, and
Manager, Court of Wards, as Deputy Collector;
and hence I am less or more acquainted with these
drugs, and able to answer questions connected with
them.
2. Bhang in the Agra district is known by the
names, viz., bhang, sabji, siddhi and kalowati.
Charas as charas. Ganja sold in the Agra district
is known as ganja tipara.
7. Hemp is not cultivated in the Agra district
for purposes "noted (a) to (c), but for (d) of
which ropes are made.
18. These three drugs (bhang, ganja and
charas) deteriorate by keeping. They have in-
toxicating effect from one to one and a half years,
after which they begin to lose their effect, so that
after one year and a half they do not remain good
for use at all.
19. Ganja and charas are used only for smoking.
Low castes and poor men smoke them in chillum
only, while the rich and well-to-do people smoke
them in chillum with huka or narial.
20. Ganja and charas are mostly used by low
classes and labourers, such as chamar, kahar, ahir,
kachi, koli, joghi, fakir, kunjar, bhateara, etc.
According to sale they are smoked by not less
than nine or ten thousand persons.
21. Baluchur ganja is preferred for smoking.
22. Charas, foreign (Yarkandi), is chiefly used
and exported from Yarkand and its other districts.
23. No ; bhang is never used for smoking in
these provinces.
24. No particular class can be specified : it is
used both in eating and drinking, but most com-
monly in drinking. It is boiled and after mixing
sugar, generally eaten in Holi and Sheoratri festi-
vals.
25. The use of all these three drugs is on the
increase : first of all is bhang, second ganja, and
third charas, For example, eight years ago in
Agra the sale of bhang amounted from 200 to 250
maunds, and now it is more than 350 maunds.
The chief reason is that the children of higher
classes, owing to bad company, incline to bad
habits and become habituated to consume bhang-
freely.
29. The common people mix some pepper in the
bhang and drink it, but well-to-do and wealthy
people use it with pepper, cardamoms, cucumber
seeds, milk and sugar. The cause of mixing
pepper and. other things is to lessen its heat and
dryness and to make it tasteful. Very few people
mix dhatura seed to make it stronger. The ganja
and charas are smoked with a small quantity of
tobacco.
30. All these three drugs are used in company
and by males only ; children generally do not use,
except a few Brahman lads.
31. Owing to bad. company, the habit of con-
suming drugs is easily and very soon formed, and
for a man habituated to their use it is very diffi-
cult to break off. When a man is habituated to a
moderate use for some time, intoxication has no
effect on him ; and then he tends to develop into
the excessive ; and it exceeds to such a degree
that his brain is spoiled, heart loses courage and
becomes useless, on account of which he becomes
wretched and idle.
32. There is no custom, social or religious, for
the consumption of any one of these drugs ; but
their consumption is considered bad.
33. Of these, the use of ganja and charas is
generally regarded bad and there is no public
opinion in regard to practice as religous. No
doubt the consumption of any form of narcotic as
charas and bhang disreputes a gentleman's name.
34. There is no particular class, but every con-
sumer with a serious privation to forego the con-
sumption of the drug he uses.
35. It is feasible to prohibit the use of drugs,
but not at once. The use of ganja and charas
which are very injurious to health and mental
faculties, should be first prohibited ; and it should