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feet of ganja smokers. They are said to be liable
to dysentery and lung diseases. I have never
noticed any such thing in the bhang drinker.
40. Native physicians use bhang largely in the
preparation of "módaks"—emulsions for the cure
of indigestion and of debility. I have seen ganja
used for the cure of rinderpest and other cattle
diseases.
41. I do not believe in beneficial effect derived
from the moderate use of ganja, bhang and
charas, except that they perhaps temporarily a
l - l e v i a t e t h e s u f f e r i n g s o f p e o p l e e x p o s e d t o w e t ,
cold and fatigue.
(a) As food I do not believe them to be of any
the slightest use. There can be no doubt that
under their influence men eat a much larger quan
- t i t y o f f o o d t h a n o r d i n a r i l y , b u t w h e t h e r t h e y d i g e s t it all is more than I can say.
(b) Yes, temporarily at least.
(c) and (d) I do not know.
Fishermen, boatmen, and men who are obliged
to work in water use ganja "to keep out the
water" as they call it; musicians to keep up
nights and to keep the voice clear; postal runners
to alleviate the effects of the fatigue and exposure
of their avocation. Wrestlers drink bhang partly
to allay the fatigue of their practice and partly
to be able to eat and digest well.
My answer to the above questions refer only to
moderate use of the drugs.
42. I believe occasional and moderate use of
bhang to be harmless. Ganja I believe to be in
-jurious to health even when used in moderation.
I have seldom come across a smoker who looked
reasonably healthy or good tempered. I have not
seen many charas smokers and have nothing to
say about them.
43. Yes; ordinarily so; but if they are roused
to anger or if they entertain a lasting grudge,
their partial want of control over themselves when
under the influence of the drug makes them worse
enemies than ordinary people. Ganja I believe
exerts a direct influence in spoiling a man's
temper.
44. He feels a pleasurable sensation all over the
entire nervous system. The mouth relaxes, the
eyes look merry, and the man feels at peace with
every thing and every body. The appetite revives
and the man feels fresh again. The effect in the
case of the smoke is almost instantaneous, and in
the case of the drink much quicker than that of
alcohol. I do not think that in either case it
allays hunger; it makes one more capable of
bearing it perhaps.
The continuance of the effect depends on the
quantity of the drug smoked or drunk, and on
the physique of the man who uses it. In the
case of the ordinary smoker the partial intoxica
- t i o n l a s t s f r o m 2 t o 3 h o u r s I t h i n k ; i t g o e s o n
losing in intensity from the very first. In the
case of bhang it lasts perhaps a little longer, say
4 to 5 hours. I do not think that there are any
unpleasant after-effects in the case of moderate
habitual use of either of the drugs except the
silent and almost imperceptible loss of health that
it causes.
The want of ganja certainly creates a longing
in the mind of the habitual smoker. He feels
loss of appetite and a disinclination for all sorts
of work or exercise and a sort of general misan
-thropy. But this is a temporary state and wears
off in less than a month.
45. As I have said above, I believe that the
habitual smoking of ganja, even in moderation
leads to physical, mental and moral deterioration.
Its effect becomes first visible in the attenuation
and enfeeblement of the body and quickness of
temper and eccentricity in words and action.
Later on these evil results stand in the way of a
man's finding employment, and a gradual disin
-clination for regular active work succeeds; neces
-sity helped by misanthropy and a gradually dim
- i n i s h i n g s e n s e o f r i g h t a n d w r o n g s o o n m a k e s t h e
man dishonest. This is perhaps an extreme case,
but the general tendency is in this direction. A
ganja smoker is the least reliable of working men.
Ganja attenuates the body and is popularly
believed to be productive of dysentery and lung
complaints, and corns in the soles of the feet
often impeding quick movements.
I have seen more than one case of dysentery
amongst ganja smokers, but I am not prepared to
say that the disease was the result of the habit.
I cannot remember any cases of lung complaint
brought on by ganja smoking. I have never
heard of a ganja smoker suffering from loss of
appetite; on the other hand, I believe that such
people eat proportionately more food.
I believe that the habit of ganja smoking does
unfit a man for regular work and gradually impair
the intellect and eventually deaden the power of
judging between right and wrong and makes him
regardless of consequences. But I do not think
that it induces debauchery, except it be through
idleness.
I have seen three cases of young men who became
insane through excessive ganja smoking; two were
Brahmin lads whom I knew from infancy. There
was no hereditary taint at least in one of them.
Both the men were fine, well-grown, healthy
people, with decent education in their vernacular,
and with some knowledge of English. They were
between 16 and 20 when they took to ganja smok
- i n g . B o t h t h e m e n w e r e i n G o v e r n m e n t s e r v i c e , a n d
both of them smoked excessively; both became
insane within 5 years; one died of dementia, not
speaking a word or taking the least heed of his
s ur r oundi ngs f or 18 mont hs t ha t he s ur vi ve d t he
first attack of the disease; the other still enjoys a
small pension that a kind District Superintendent
of Police procured for him, and goes about catch
-ing imaginary thieves and fighting fancied da
- c o i t s — t h e w r e c k o f a s f i n e a y o u n g m a n a s I h a v e
seen anywhere in the Bengal Police. The third
case was that of a Bania young man who was at
school in his boyhood, but who took to his ances
- t r a l o c c u p a t i o n w h i l e y e t y o u n g . H e f e l l i n t o
evil company and became a ganja smoker at the
age of 18 or 19; he went raving mad for about
a year, was put into a lunatic asylum by his
people, and is now a thriving stall keeper in the
New Market, Calcutta, never caring to touch a
chillum again.
I shall state another case which occurred some
18 years ago. J.—was a clerk in the Registrar's
Office, High Court, Calcutta, for over 25 years.
He was a man of a retiring disposition, spoke
little, minded his business, and was believed to be
respectable by all his acquaintances. He used,
however, to beat his children unmercifully, and
people who knew him well said that he smoked
ganja in secret. In 1876, I think, about the
time that he was to retire, information was re
- c e i v e d b y h i s f a m i l y t h a t h e h a d s u d d e n l y b e c o m e
insane. He was brought home raving mad, talk
- i n g i n c o h e r e n t l y , s i n g i n g , s h o u t i n g , s o m e t i m e s
striking people or repeating the forms of decrees