1. I belong to the London Missionary Society.
I have been in India for nine years. I have been
all my time in Coimbatore, and have itinerated
through the whole district with the exception of
two talukas ; latterly I have worked in the south
half of the district. I mix freely with the people.
Before the special inquiry made for the Commission,
which I carried on for six weeks (October 19th to
end of November), this matter had not come be-
fore me at all, except as I had read about it. I
had no experience of the drugs or their effects. I
had come on no cases of ill effects from the use of
the drugs. I mix freely with the people, but not
with those who are usually excessive smokers. I
have stated in my paper that these are chiefly fakirs
and sanyasis or wandering Hindu ascetics. I have
not sufficient experience to say that there is a class
of moderate smokers : all the cases I came across
were excessive smokers. I cannot say, on the other
hand, that there is no class of moderate smokers.
All that I have said in the paper has been ga-
thered. from and regarding the score of smokers
mentioned in answer 1 and the Mudeliar mentioned
in answer 31 and the vendors in the bazaar and
here and there a cultivator of the drug.
7. Pollachi is 25 miles south of Coimbatore
town in that district. I have not seen the cultiva-
tion. The information I got was from a bazaar
seller and an Abkari Inspector. I understood. it
to be regular field cultivation.
31. The sentence " the practice of smoking in-
variably leads to excess" is the view I formed from
conversation with the excessive smokers. I have
368
This work mentions ganja as entering into
recipes for,—
1. Thathu pushti legiam
2. Mathana kamesura legiam
3.
ditto kulikai
4.
ditto oil
5. Mathana purana valvathi
6. Mathana purana sanjeevi.
41. Referring to the occasional moderate use as
a medicine—
(a) Majium may be useful thus.
(b) Ganja-smoking would probably be useful
thus.
(c) I have never heard any form of ganja
alluded to as a febrifuge.
It would, however, be very dangerous to go to
majium or ganja-smoking for (a) and (b ), as the
habit might insidiously be formed ; moreover the
effects are not easily regulated.
42. No, I think the use harmful. I judge from
prevalent opinion of all classes whom I have consult-
ed. I don't know any moderate consumer :
smokers smoke in order to get intoxicated.
43. I believe they are inoffensive.
46. See answers 33 and 39, where I think I
have alluded to all the points in this question
which I can answer. As regards laziness, see 27.
As regards insanity I cannot speak, but to all the
previous questions under No. 46 I should say
yes.'
48. See answer to No. 27.
50. See the medicines mentioned in answer 40.
The names alone partly answer question 50. Win-
slow's Tamil Dictionary gives under ganja legiam
= = a n i n e b r i a t i n g e l e c t u a r y m a d e o f g a n j a a n d
taken to promote venery.
A man who had been in the army told me it
was a common thing for soldiers to take ganja
preparations (electuaries) just before visiting pros-
titutes, Ganja preparations are certainly used
as aphrodisiacs. I could not however learn that
they were so used by prostitutes. According to
common consent the use of ganja tends to produce
impotence, though not at first in the case of elec-
tuaries.
javathu, thathupushti, and ganja roti, were said
to be as follows :—
White majium. Bilvathi. Javathu. Thathupushti. Ganja roti.
Ganja mixed
with sugar,
Cleaned gan-
ja satthu.
Vellore
gaaja.
Kothuripai flour.
Salami batthiri-
pal,
Jathikkay.
Atthi.
Thattai. Milk,
Ganja powder.
Jathibatthiri, Alai.
Vitthuvakai. Ghee.
Elarisi.
Purasux.
Ganja.
Salt.
Marattimokku.
Mathanakāma
-pu.
Kirāmbu. Ganja.
N. B.—I give these lists with the admission
that they are far from complete. The ingredients
are probably correct, but are only some out of
many.
58. I saw no signs of ganja being sold in the
open market anywhere, nor in any except licensed
bazaars. At one place where the licensed seller
was away for some time, the smokers complained
much that they could not get supplies, which
seemed to indicate that there was no illicit sale
there.
I was told that majium could be bought at a
certain bazaar not licensed, and from my enqui-
ries I conclude this was the case; but when I
sent to purchase some, I found the seller had gone
to the neighbouring town, to the market probably,
to replenish his stock of majium amongst other
things.
60. No control at all as regards cultivation or
preparation, only as regards sale.
64. No regulations, as far as I can learn.
68. No.
69. I believe not. We need local option for all
such things.
Oral evidence.
56. See 39. Majium is ganja mixed with
other things, and in 39 I have mentioned how its
effects differ from ganja smoking.
Admixture of other substances with, ganja.
— O n e m a k e r o f m a j i u m g a v e m e t h e f o l l o w i n g a s
the principal ingredients : Sukku, milaku, thip-
pili, pattai, kirambu, jāthikkai, jāthibatthiri,
thatkolam, thalisbatthiri, mathanak ā mappu, sut-
thimathuram, sirunakapu, marahmuk, jad ā m-
anji, elakkay, akalakkāram, ganja, valimilaku,
ganjachedi, ghee, honey, jaggery.
To make the majium, the ganja head has the
seeds removed ; it is then well washed and dried
and mixed with above substances and some
others.
Another maker said the chief ingredients of
majium are ganja, black vellam, plantain, vir ām
fruit, but there are some 30 other ingredients.
The chief ingredients of white majium, bilvathi,