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intoxicants. A moderate ganja smoker betrays
his habit by his conversation. His lips bear evi
- d e n c e o f h i s h a b i t . T h e y a r e b l a c k i s h .
Question 43.—Ganja smokers are disagreeable
in conversation and manner. They are quarrel
- s o m e . I d o n o t i n c l u d e b h a n g i n t h i s o p i n i o n .
Question 46.— I get the figure from the work
by Lyons.
An excessive ganja smoker has dilated pupils.
I have particularly observed this. This symptom
is apparent when the smoker is under the influence
of the drug. The effect of dhatura is, I am told,
exactly the reverse (contraction).
Question 47.—The opinion in the last part of
the answer is based on my own observation. I
remember three children of an insane father who
were all insane. The father was an excessive
ganja smoker. The same effect on the children
would be traceable from a parent who was border
- i n g o n i n s a n i t y o f a n y o t h e r k i n d . I d i d n o t
know the family well enough to say whether there
were other cases of insanity in it.
Question
5 1
. — m e a n t h a t p e r s o n s , w h o b u t
for the drug would not be disposed to crime, are
encouraged by its use to commit crime. The
majority of habitual criminals are consumers of
the drug. Both the drug and the association with
ganja smokers incite to crime. I refer to petty
offences and not to homicide or murder in this
answer. Offences requiring well-laid plans are
not incited by the drug, though it may be taken
as a preparation for carrying them out. In such
cases ganja is in fact taken to give courage.
Bhang is not so used in this province. I commit
- t e d t h e m a n w h o k i l l e d h i s c h i l d . T h e t r y i n g
court held that he was demented by repeatedly in
- c u r r i n g s e v e r e c a s t e p e n a l t i e s , a n d a c q u i t t e d h i m .
The latter cause may have accelerated the de
- r a n g e m e n t w h i c h w a s b e i n g c a u s e d b y t h e g a n j a .
The derangement did not amount to insanity until
the caste troubles were superadded. He was not
actually mad, or I should not have committed
him. I did form an opinion from the wife's
evidence as to the man's mental condition before
his caste troubles came upon him. This is the
only case about which I can give particulars. I
was Magistrate for about 7 years. I went into
camp in Chhindwara district for one month in each
of the 3 years. I was Extra Assistant Commis
- s i o n e r t h e r e . I w a s l e s s t h a n 2 y e a r s T a h s i l d a r ,
and 5 years Extra Assistant Commissioner. In
Chanda I did not go into camp. I was 15
months at Damtari. I was also Deputy Inspec
- t o r o f S c h o o l s f o r o v e r a y e a r i n . R a i p u r . T h e
rest of my service was ministerial. I resigned.
the Government service in 1887, and have been
Honorary Magistrate ever since.
Question 55 .—Complete stupefaction can be
produced by the drug. I cannot give a case in
which stupefaction was caused by pure ganja.
Question 65.—I think ganja is too cheap, be
- c a u s e a m a n c a n i n t o x i c a t e h i m s e l f f o r s o l i t t l e
as a pice. There is no other intoxicant so cheap.
I don't think the drug could be made more popu
- l a r b y i t s q u a l i t y b e i n g i m p r o v e d b y c u l t i v a t i o n .
70. Evidence of MR. TARA DASS BANERJI, President, District Council, Raipur.
1. As a native of a large village in one of the
swampiest districts in Bengal, and a member of a
household that was daily visited by large numbers
of the surrounding population, and of which the
head still exercised a sort of time-honored though
illegal civil and. criminal jurisdiction, I came to
know almost every man in our neighbourhood, and
a good deal of the manners and habits of each, at
an early period of my life. Ours was a most back
- w a r d p e o p l e , a n d t h e d i s t i n c t i o n t h a t n o w s e p a r a t e s
class from class by an insurmountable barrier had
not yet crept amongst us.
After leaving college I was engaged in assisting
in the management of a moderately large landed
estate and some indigo and silk manufactories
attached to it, which gave employment to hundreds
of the labouring classes during the working
season.
A good many of the people smoked ganja, and
I often had to pay the week's wages into the
hands of a wife, in order to save her children from
suffering. In 1877 circumstances compelled me
to leave home and take to my present profession
in Raipur, where I have passed the last 16 years,
trying to know the people and their ways as much
as a life of hard work allowed. I know almost
every malguzar and a good many of the tenantry
of this district and the habits of a good many of
them. I have some villages here of my own, and
I know all my tenants personally, and the habits
and character of almost all of them.
3. In my boyhood I have seen it grow on the
dry beds of tanks in the Nadia district in Bengal.
People called it " siddhi." I do not know if the
seed was thrown there by any one purposely.
But judging from the exposed locality of the tank,
V O L . V I .
I should think it grew spontaneously. It grew
in thick clusters and looked luxuriant.
4. It used to be locally called " siddhi." In
the up-countries it is called bhang and patti. I
never saw it flower. People boiled and dried
some of the leaves for use as bhang, but the
greater part went to waste or were destroyed by
cattle.
I should think light alluvial soil with plenty
of moisture and heat favourable to its growth.
I have never seen it grow on a high level.
6. I found it, quite dense.
7. I have never seen it cultivated to any extent.
14. Not that I know of.
15. I have seen people plucking the leaves of
the wild hemp " siddhi " and boiling and drying
it, and subsequently either smoking it in a chillum
or making a paste of it with spices, and either swal
- l o w i n g i t a s p i l l s o r m i x i n g i t w i t h m i l k , s u g a r
and water, and drinking it.
16. The people of the lower sort generally
prepare it from the wild hemp as stated above.
The better classes use bhang imported from the
up-countries, that from Multan, or known as
Multani, being preferred. I should think it can
be prepared from the wild hemp.
I have never seen ganja or charas being prepared
from the wild hemp except where I had sus
- p i c i o n s o f t h e s e e d h a v i n g b e e n p l a n t e d b y s o m e
local smoker in a conveniently secluded spot, but
in such cases I found it to grow luxuriantly.
18. New ganja and old bhang are preferred.
I should think like all other vegetable products
they deteriorate by exposure to the damp air of
U 2