416
191. Evidence of SAMDASU BAVAJI, Brahmin, Priest in the Matt of Sri Jagannadha
Swamy, Raja h mundry.
3. Malwa and Indore are places where much
is cultivated.
4. Charas is a sort of juice taken out from
ganja trees by covering a cloth on it and taking
out the resin.
Ganja is the head containing some unopened
flower and small leaves.
Bhang is another sort yielding flowers.
These two are of the same species, but they are
said to be male and female trees, the latter yield-
ing the stuff called ganja.
5. Northern country where the climate is tem-
perate this thrives well.
6. In the jungles of Northern India this hemp
is found ordinarily dense, but in scattered places.
11. The ganja found in jungle is quite different
from that found in villages.
14. No cultivation in this part of the country.
15. I know of no people eating ganja. They
smoke. They drink a preparation called bhang
(made of ganja leaves, juice, sugar and milk,
pepper, sounf).
16. Family men (Marwadis, Guzratis) make a
sort of beverage called bhang, and drink it during
festival days.
A preparation of ganja is mixed in lehams and
halwas.
18. It lasts until one year and afterwards loses
its properties gradually.
19. Ganja and charas both used for smoking.
20. Gosains, jogis, bairagis, fakirs, labourers,
weavers and even family men without distinction
of caste use it. It is smoked.
21. Ganja manufactured in Bengal is good for
smoking ; round ganja produces more heat than
flat one.
22. Charas is procurable in the Northern India
where snow is much.
23. Bhang also is used for smoking. It is
much used in Northern India.
24. All classes use it. Very few of the people
use it.
25. Increased. Formerly through fear people
did not use much ; now as freedom increases, the
bad habits also are increasing.
26. I cannot give particulars.
27. Gosains, fakirs and sadhus smoke ganja.
Family men are prohibited from using it now.
Several bad characters are also using. Some fa-
mily men also are using it.
28. Habitual moderate consumers use one or
two tolas per day.
Habitual excessive consumers use three or four
tolas per diem.
29. In this country ganja is ordinarily mixed
with plain tobacco.
Sadhus mix tobacco and also (nablie) aconite
and snake poison also. Those who live on Hima-
layas generally so use to keep themselves warm.
I do not know dhatura being mixed.
Those who suffer from asthma and severe
cough smoke dhatura separately.
In bhang massala the following articles are
mixed :—Spices, sounf (anise), cardamoms, poppy
seed, pepper (mittulaledi), liquorice, coriander seed,
cucumber seed, jaggery, ganja or bhang, all in
equal shares.
30. Beverages can be taken in company.
Smoking is practised in solitude.
Males only generally consume. Children do
not generally consume these drugs.
31. Habit of consuming these drugs can be
easily formed. It is also difficult to break off.
There is tendency in the case of any of these
drugs for the moderate habit to develop into
excessive habit.
32. The use of ganja is not considered as an
essential to social or religious customs as some
say. Sadhus smoke ganja limitedly, but not in
excess. If it is excessively used, it may prove
injurio us .
33. The consumption of these drugs is neither
regarded nor disregarded. Only in the case of bad
characters who use it in excess it is not regarded.
34. To forego the consumption of the drug
(used by some) would not in my opinion be a
serious privation.
35. It would be feasible to prohibit the use of
any of these drugs. Only those habituated to its
use illicitly consume it only for a few days, because
they may feel it difficult to break off at once.
The prohibition would not occasion serious discon-
tent to moderate consumers, but to those who use
it in excess it may.
Sadhus do not addict themselves to alcoholic
stimulants, but bad characters may.
37. Smoking charas creates more heat and in-
toxication than in ganja.
38. The effects of the different sorts of ganja
will no doubt be different in creating heat and
intoxication.
39. Smoking ganja is more dangerous than
drinking treacle of ganja. The effects are differ-
ent. Eating is bad. Eating in medicines gives
different effects.
40. Native doctors use ganja in some medicines
as an admixture.
41. Even moderate use is not a good habit. It
does not produce any beneficial effects.
(a) Produces appetite; improves digestion.
(b)Does not give good effect in alleviating
fatigue.
(c) May serve as a febrifuge or preventive of
disease in malarious and unhealthy tracts.
(d) In cold climates the use of this drug would
be beneficial.
42. I think even moderate use is not harmless,
because it produces some bad effects, though it be
beneficial in some respects.
43. Ganja smokers are not generally offensive
to their neighbours.
44. If consumed in moderate quantity, it re-
freshes mind and body, produces slight intoxica-
tion, does not allay hunger, but creates it, provid-
ed the man eats good nourishing. The effect
of one smoke lasts for an hour. Excessive
smokers may have after-effects such as laziness,
languidity and dragging pain in legs.