346
think that estimate excessive. Adult non-consum-
ers are few. Four out of five adult males consume
the drugs.
Question 45.—I have never seen a lunatic whose
lunacy was due to these drugs. I have seen liquor
drinkers sent to the asylum, but never a ganja or
charas smoker. I cannot speak to police or other
returns. I only give my experience.
Question 46.—In excessive consumption there
is injury, but there is no injury in the moderate
consumption of any of these drugs.
Question 48.—The proverb of the Thakurs
is "jo nahin piye ganja ki kalli us se larke
bhali."
The Thakurs are a warlike and manly race.
They are more given to violence, but not crimes
against property.
Question 63.— Dealers are paid in kind ; they
do it on the sly. The agricultural people in vil-
lages have not money, so they pay in grain. This
is confined to the country, not in cities. As the
custom prevails, it should be permitted to prevent
the necessity for illicit action.
Question 69.—Where there are many consumers
in a village, petitions are made to me to have a
shop opened. I send it to the Collector, and some-
times it is ordered. Sometimes it is 6aid that no
more shops can be opened. I have seen such peti-
tions.
254. Evidence of LALA SHEO PERSHAD, RAI BAHADUR, Khattri, Bauker, Cawnpore.
[Recorded by H. Wurburton, C. S., Assistant
Collector, Cawnpore.
1. I held the contract for drugs in Cawnpore
district for ten years, up to last year. I also held
the contract for drugs in the Unao district for
eight years.
2. Definitions are correct ; but bhang cannot
be obtained from the female plant. I have, how-
ever, never watched the cultivation of the plants.
and have only seen the gathered product.
Bhang is also called "subzi" and "buti."
3. In Kheri, Gonda and Eahraich districts it is
abundant. A little grows at Jagadri (Saharan-
pur).
4. The plant is known as bhang or ganja.
according to its product.
6. Ordinarily dense : in Bahraich district it
presents the appearance of an arhar field.
7. The plant is cultivated in Terida (Farukha-
bad) for bhang only. 1 know of no other place
where it is cultivated in these provinces.
10. No. They are ordinary agriculturalists.
11. They are not.
12. I have no reason to suppose so.
13. As far as 1 know, there is no cultivation
of the plant for ganja in these provinces.
14. Ganja and charas are not prepared in these
provinces as far as I know ; bhang is prepared in
the parts which I have mentioned as producing
hemp plant.
16. No special appliances and no skill is requir-
ed to prepare bhang ; the preparation consists
simply in the drying of the leaves of the plant.
1 know nothing about the preparation of ganja or
charas.
17. Bhang is prepared by the cultivators, who
are of no special class.
18. The three drugs keep quite good for a year,
but deteriorate a little in two years, and a great
deal in three years. With great care they keep
good for three years. Cold and damp are the
main causes of deterioration ; the only thing to
prevent this is to keep the drugs in the dry place.
Cold without damp does not do much harm.
19. Ganja and charas are used only for smok-
ing.
20. Fakirs (Hindu and Musalman) are the
greatest smokers. There are few smokers except
those in low castes,—Chamars, Passis, Ahirs
Lodhas, and such like. Most members of these
castes are smokers.
21. Flat ganja is the only sort used to my
knowledge.
22. Nepal charas is used in Lucknow only.
The charas used everywhere else comes from
Yarkand.
23. Bhang is never smoked.
24. All who consume bhang drink it mixed with
water, spices and sugar, and strained. None eat it.
Very nearly all Hindus drink bhang; but not
ganja or charas smokers, nor as a rule opium con-
sumers or liquor drinkers ; that is, about half the
Hindus drink bhang and a few Musalmans.
25. I think more people than formerly now use
these drugs; I should say that 150 people now
use them where ten years ago 100 people used them.
I attribute this to the lesser influence of religion
on the people, the teaching of the Hindu religion
being opposed to the use of drugs, though not in
the case of fakirs.
26. Bhang-
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
25 per cent.
40
„
10
„
25
„
All consumers of ganja and charas are habitual
excessive consumers.
27. All classes drink bhang equally. Ganja
and charas are smoked mainly by people of low
caste. If anything, persons engaged in hard
manual labour are greater consumers of bhang than
others.
28. Bhang—
(a) 2 to 3 mashas.
(b) About 2½ tolas; but many take more
than this, and a few take as much as
¼th seer a day.
Charas—
(b) One masha ; but some take as much as
2k tolas.
Ganja—
(b) One masha ; but some take as much as
2½ tolas.
29. Bhang—
(a) Ordinarily pepper, sugar, almond, but
sometimes pepper only, are mixed with
bhang.
(b) Richer men add to bhang pepper, sugar,
almonds, betel, aniseed, and many
other spices in various combinations.
I know of no such thing as "bhang massala,"