76
particular create bronchitis, asthma, loss of think-
ing power, weakness of the eyesight, make the
features appear ghastly.
47 and 48. No ; but as a rule children learn the
habits of their fathers, and so I should think the
children acquire the habit of use of drugs from
their parents.
51 and 52. The consumers of these drugs,
moderate or excessive, are not necessarily men of
bad characters or criminals, nor has it any connec-
tion with crimes ; men of bad characters and
habitual criminals are often found to be addicted
to the use of intoxicants. I think about 50 per
cent. of the men of this class are drug-consumers.
Ganja and charas are more familiar to this class
than bhang ; such men are generally found to be
excessive consumers of drugs.
53. Excessive indulgence in these drugs often
leads to quarrels and fights and riots of unpreme-
ditated nature. I have no information of its
leading to homicidal mania
54. Bhang does not make a man active. Ganja
and charas is known to be occasionally so used.
55. Yes.
56. I have personally seen some men usiug
dhatura with bhang to get dense intoxication. I
have also seen men using opium with bhang with
the same object. They were noticed to sit or lie
down in an unconscious state, fit for no work
whatever and little better than a dead man.
57. I have never heard ganja or charas being
eaten or drunk.
58. I think present system of excise adminis-
tration is working well.
60. Ganja is not cultivated in this province.
The only practicable control over the spontaneous
grown ganja is that a possession of more than five
tolas of ganja is made punishable by law ; beyond
this no other practicable system could be suggested.
61. It is not produced in these united provinces.
62. There is much spontaneous growth of bhang
in the province. I have known of no place except
Farrukhabad where it is cultivated in these pro-
vinces. Limit of ¼ seer of bhang that a man can
possess and the restriction that a cultivator cannot
sell bhang produce to any except to the drug con-
tractor are the best methods of controlling the
produce of uncultivated and cultivated bhang.
63. No.
64. As charas is the most intoxicating and
injurious of all these hemp drug preparations, and
it is an article of foreign import and product, and
its consumption is now on an increase, four times
more than it was ten years ago, as will appear
from the figures given below, I would in the first
place suggest that the import of charas be totally
prohibited, or it be very heavily taxed.
Average account of consumption from—
1872-73 to 1876-77 = about 6 maunds.
1877-78 to 1881-82 = 6 maunds, 15 seers.
1882-83 to 1886-88 = 9 maunds, 24 seers.
1887-88 to 1891-92 = 26 maunds, 33 seers.
67. The population of united provinces North-
Western provinces and Oudh is 46,905,085 ;
taking 50 per cent. of this to be the number of
drug consumers, and the income from drugs is
R70,12,087. This gives an incidence of R3.3
per annum, which I think to be a fairly moderate
taxation. There can't be any objection to this
amount and the present method of taxation.
68. Yes ; there are. I think it would be better
to prohibit consumption of drugs in the shops of
the retail vendors of drugs. It will be some check
on the excessive consumption, and would also lead
to reduce the number of occasional consumers and
would be some social improvement.
69. The shops are located with regards to drug-
consuming population, whose convenience is taken
into consideration, though the opinion of the
general public is not invited ; but if any reason-
able objection is made to any shop, the opinions
are considered.
70. The cases of the illicit use of drugs are not
many ; all possible supervision is kept by the police
and district authorities on the drugs contractors,
whose interests are at risk in cases of sale or con-
sumption of illicit drugs.
49. Evidence of DHARMA NAND JOSHI, Brahmin, Settlement Deputy Collector,
Garhwal.
1. I am employed in the settlement of Garhwal.
I have had frequent opportunities of obtaining
information about hemp cultivation, and have con-
sulted men capable of giving information on the
subject.
2. This definition fully applies to this district,
so far as charas is concerned. Ganja is neither
prepared nor used in this country. Siddhi, bhang,
is also not used in this district. People in the
warmer climate drink bhang, but this being a cold
country, its use is injurious to the constitution.
Only on the occasion of the 'Holi' festival some
people use bhang ; but they are few, and the use
is confined to the festival only.
Charas is locally known as 'atar,' 'sulpha,' and
'charas.'
3 to 6. In Garhwal district, about which I am
writing, wild hemp grows spontaneously every-
where, both in higher and lower levels. It is not,
Lowever, of much use here.
Some cowherd boys make a little charas, but
very little, and it is not sold. Some charas
smokers, who are poor and cannot afford to buy
charas produced from cultivated plant, make a
little for their own use for a month or so, but very
rarely. This charas is considered very inferior in
quality, and produces headache. Some people for
similar reasons smoke dried leaves with tobacco.
In some places where wild hemp grows in well
manured places, such as cattle sheds, people make
coarse ropes ; but this also very rarely. Wild
hemp is known by the name of "arango" or
"kharango." It is dense or scattered according as
the ground on winch it grows is well manured or
not. It grows densely in cattle sheds, or in the
ravines where washings of the hills accumulate. In
one place in this district, in a small area called
"Urgam" in Patti Talla Pain Khanda, on account
of climatic causes, the wild hemp is of a superior
quality ; charas is made from its leaves, and is of a
superior kind, like that produced from cultivated
bhang—perhaps superior. The fakirs prefer it to
the other charas. The people give it generally to