248
(4)Ramarus.—The leaves are boiled for quarter
of an hour, washed four or five times with water,
ground and mixed with water and strained ; again
they are ground twice or thrice, strained and mixed
with water. They then add poppy-seeds, senna
leaves, limes, rose, sompu, and kopra, and again
grind mix it with water and strain it. Then they
add milk and sugar. This preparation is said to
be very cooling to the body.
(5) If a great quantity of water and jaggery
are added, it becomes panakum.
(6) Bhang Thum.—Wash the leaves four or
five times with water, then crush them by placing
them in the middle of the left palm, and pressing
them with the thumb of the right hand, add a
small quantity of tobacco. This is placed in a
pipe and smoked.
Hemp leaves are also mixed with mutton, boiled
and eaten. This appears to be very intoxicating.
16. Bhang is prepared by the cultivators in
their houses.
17. By the confectioners generally. Mahrat-
tas, Bondilas (originally people of Bundelkund in
Northern India.), Rajputs, Pandarums and Musal-
mans also prepare.
1 8 . B h a n g l e a v e s c a n b e k e p t f o r a l o n g t i m e ,
provided they are exposed to the sun often ; other-
-wise they will become mouldy.
19, 20, 21, and 22, Don't know.
23. Mahrattas, Bondilas, Rajputs, Pandarums,
bairagis, gossains, and Musalmans smoke bhang.
24. The above-said classes eat or drink bhang
all over Southern India.
25 and 26. Don't know.
27. The classes mentioned in 17 and 23. A
wandering life appears to have led to the use of
bhang. The impression is, the use of bhang
neutralizes the bad effects of water of different
places visited by the wandering people. Except
the wandering pandarums, bairagis, and gossains.
The forefathers of the other races, both Hindu
and Muhammadan, mentioned in Answer 17, who
formed the great bulk of the armies of the old
dynasties, appear to have contracted the habit of
using bhang, while marching from place to place in
search of plunder or conquest, or while on garrison
duty. Their descendants appear to have inherited
the practice from them.
28. For a habitual moderate consumer ⅛ to ½
palam. For an excessive consumer ½ to 1 palam
per diem.
2 9 . T h e m o s t i n v e t e r a t e c o n s u m e r s a r e s a i d t o
mix dhatura seeds (ground) or the roots of paddy
plants to make them much intoxicated. Some of
the bazar men sell bhang massala. The ingredi-
ents are poppy seeds, senna leaves, rose, sompu
and kopra.
30. Mostly confined to adult males or youths.
They use in company in Matams, or Choultries.
3 1 . T h e h a b i t o f u s i n g b h a n g c a n , w i t h s o m e
difficulty, be broken off by taking to drinking
spirits or smoking or chewing tobacco,—a habit
once formed will develop into excessive.
3 2 . I t i s c u s t o m a r y a t t h e H o l i f e s t i v a l a m o n g
the Mahrattas to offer panakum made of bhang to
the god Kama (Cupid), and drink it or distribute
it among friends, boys and children. This may
also lead the younger members to follow the pra
c - t i c e o f u s i n g b h a n g .
33. Respectable people avoid the' company of
the bhang eaters, as bhang eating is considered
very disreputable socially in Southern India. The
great majority of the population of Southern India
abstain from eating bhang.
34. Yes, a sudden prohibition will cause serious
discontent among the hemp drug consumers.
35. It would not be feasible to prohibit the
drug altogether. It would lead to illicit con-
sumption. The consumers will suffer from
several kinds of diseases. An absolute prohibi-
tion will cause serious discontent, but it would
not lead to any political danger, as the consumers
are only an infinitesimal portion of the popula-
tion in Southern India. It would be well to
restrict the consumption of the hemp drug grad-
ually by raising the price of the articles and
making it dear.
36. I don't think alcohol has been substituted
for these drugs now, as the former is more expen-
sive than the latter.
37 and 38. I don't know.
39. I hear that smoking is more hurtful than
eating or drinking these drugs. Smoking pro-
duces asthma.
40. Many native doctors prescribe purnathy to
create appetite or strengthen the semen. 1 don't
know whether it is used for cattle disease.
41. The moderate use of bhang appears to be
beneficial in some cases.
Majum and purnathy are used.
(a) As a food digestive.
(b) It alleviates fatigue.
(c) Purnathy is also used as a preventive of
disease in malarious tracts.
I refer to the moderate occasional use by people
travelling in malarious tracts. The permanent
residents of malarious tracts use opium.
42. When not used medicinally, even the
moderate use of the hemp drug is hurtful to the
constitution. It stupefies, dries up or impairs
the constitution, produces idle and dirty habits,
and asthma.
4 3 . T h e y a r e i n o f f e n s i v e g e n e r a l l y .
44. It produces intoxication and allays hunger
when smoked. If the consumer is deprived of
his favourite drug, he feels the greatest uneasi-
ness.
45. The use of these drugs, even in moderate
quantites, produces ruinous effects, physically,
mentally and morally. It impairs his constitution,
produces asthma, stupefies or puts him out of his
senses, and deprives him of all intellectual im-
provement and produces idle and dirty habits. It
also causes loss of appetite.
46. In the case of habitual and excessive use of
these drugs, the effects are appalling. It produces
also temporary insanity. I will give one instance
when answering Question 53.
47, 48, 49 and 50. Don't know.
51 and 52. I don't think these stupefied men
commit any violent crime as far as Southern
India is concerned.
53. A police constable, a Mahratta in the
g
Kollegal taluk, Coimbatore district, was trans-
ferredbto Martally or Nadukaval, a very unhealthy
station on the borders of that jungle taluk,
Having little or nothing to do there, the cons-
table took to smoking or eating bhang to an im
-
moderate extent ; the result was that in a short