23
costive (constipated); they feel feverish, yawn,
their eyes and nose run. A prisoner was seen
by me to have attempted to commit suicide on
being refused the drug (ganja) on his admission,
because he said he could not bear the sufferings
caused by its want.
35. I think it would not be feasible to prohibit
entirely the use of ganja or bhang, as habitual
excessive consumers will not fail to try all means
to obtain it. It will cause discontent among
them. The prohibition is likely to be followed
by recourse to alcoholic stimulants among the
lower classes, and in the higher classes opium
smoking will take its place. This I say, because
a ganja smoker told me that whenever he did
not get ganja, he satisfied his desire by smoking
opium.
38. Round ganja is preferred here for smoking
to flat ganja. Consumers are unanimous in their
statements that though the former possesses great--
er intoxicating quality than the latter, it does
not cause headache, burning sensation in the
stomach, like the latter. The drink prepared of
"patti" (bhang) is less intoxicating in quality
and is said to be less injurious to the health than
ganja.
39. None say that smoking of ganja in any
form is less injurious than eating or drinking it.
On the contrary, it is worse in effect than the
latter.
40. Several kinds of sweetmeat containing
ganja are prepared by native doctors and prescrib--
ed as a tonic to weak persons or for sustaining
the power for sexual desire. Some of them are
named here: (1) Stri darp gaj kesari módak; (2)
Brahat kámeshwar módak, or (3) Máhámada
n
módak, (4) Rati wallabha módak; (5) Apar kam-
ágni sandípan módak.
Ganja is also given in the treatment of cattle
disease.
41. Excessive and moderate habitual consumers
use bhang as a food digestive or to give staying
power. They also take it in grief. The moder--
ate, occasional consumers take it as a febrifuge
or preventive of disease, when they go to mala-
rious and unhealthy tracts, or when cholera epi- -
demic or such other disease breaks out. In the
latter case persons are persuaded to take the drug
(ganja or bhang).
42. Ganja smoking or bhang drinking, whether
excessively or moderately, is not at all beneficial.
Two kinds of drink are prepared of bhang: one
is called ghota, which contains a large quantity
of it, which is taken by habitual consumers whe-
ther moderate or excessive; and the other is called
thandai, which contains a small quantity of it,
and its effect is marred by adding the several
articles of bhang massala mentioned above. It is
generally taken by occasional consumers in the hot
season, or on the occasion of some religious festi--
vals. Such moderate use of bhang is harmless,
but in no case can ganja, smoking be considered
to be so, as it does not fail to produce its injurious
effect in however moderate degree it may be
taken.
43. Moderate consumers are not offensive to
their neighbours.
44. Both ganja smokers and bhang drinkers
state that if these drugs be taken moderately on
the appointed times, they are refreshing to habi-
tual consumers and create appetite. Bhang keeps
its effect on habitual excessive consumers for three
or four hours, and ganja for an hour or so. After-
wards uneasiness and a desire to take it again
are produced in them. These persons remain
always under their influence. If they do not get
the drugs afterwards, they lose their energies and
become unable to attend to their work. The
effect of ganja smoking is immediate and lasts
for an hour or so; whereas that of bhang drink-
ing is produced after an hour, bat it lasts much
longer than the first, for three or four hours.
45. Ganja smoking impairs the constitution of
the consumers, who look pale and thin; whereas
this does not appear to be the case with bhang
consumers. Its consumer looks stout and healthy.
Both these drugs have a tendency more or less
to induce debauchery, The object of young men
commencing to use them is to increase the sexual
desire. Ganja smoking has a tendency to deaden
the intellect and produce insanity. Bhang drink-
ing does not, I believe, produce these effects. I
have known a large number of bhang drinkers.
among Brahmans who are well known as reciters
of the Vedas. Their intellect does not appear to
have become blunt. They all look healthy.
From a few instances I have seen it appears
that insanity, which was the effect of ganja
smoking, was produced in the first stage of the
persons using the drug excessively. It was tem-
porary. They became quite sane after having
been kept under restraint for some months. If
such persons be again allowed the use of the drug,
they will again become insane.
53. The excessive indulgence in ganja smoking
incites unpremeditated, violent crime. Recently
I saw a case of a man who went mad owing to
excessive ganja smoking, and in that state of his
mind he killed his own uncle who had remained
to watch him. There was no ill-feeling between
them. There was no motive of the murder except
perhaps the uncle did not allow him the use of
ganja. The story is that after the man having
gone mad, the murdered man and his brother sat
to watch the murderer. In the meantime the
former slept near him telling his brother to
keep a watch. Shortly after the murderer told
the latter to go to sleep, saying that there was
no necessity of a watch as he had become quite
sane. On this the man went away. The mur-
derer then got up, brought an axe from inside a
room, and struck a blow with it to his sleeping
uncle, and ran away, and concealed the axe and
washed his wearing clothes. He confessed all these
facts to the police, and other persons the follow-
ing day. He, however, denied subsequently all
knowledge before the magistrate. There was no
other motive for this murder, which, I believe,
was due to homicidal frenzy.
55. Criminals put bhang or ganja in some
sweetmeats, generally the preparation is called
majum, and give it to their victims, and thus
stupefy them completely if a sufficient quantity
is mixed.
56. I have not come across a ganja smoker in
moderation mixing with it any substance except
tobacco. It is only the excessive smokers who
mix the several substances mentioned before
whenever they desire to use the drug of increased
strength. Dhatura is mixed for personal con-
sumption in order that the effect may last longer
than the mixture of ganja and tobacco. For
the same object dhatura is sometimes mixed with
bhang for personal use. If the mixture of ganja
and dhatura, or bhang and dhatura, be taken
one consuming only ganja or bhang it produces
a stupefying effect on him. So this mixture is
very often used by road poisoners for the pur-
pose of effecting some criminal motive. These
men put the mixture of dhatura and bhang or
ganja in sweetmeat intended for their victims,