415
produces slight intoxication. It does not allay
hunger. It does only create appetite, but it also
makes one eat while under its effect a larger quan-
tity of food than by any other medicine. It is
clear from the following saying that bhang or
bijiya is styled in a metaphorical language as a
mother who naturally desires to nourish and keep
her child comfortable, saying: "Come, mother
bijya generous to all, and keep in the same way as
a mother to her son." This is one of the sayings
used at the time of taking bhang. Its effect lasts
about five or six hours. It has no after-effects.
The want of subsequent gratification does not
produce any longing until the fixed time arrives at
which the consumer is usually in the habit of using
the drug.
45. The habitual moderate use of charas pro-
duces noxious effects gradually—physical and
mental. It impairs the constitution by creating
unnatural heat in the system, and dries up the
blood to certain extent, and generally, though
slowly, weakens the constitution. In the long
run, it causes the loss of appetite in a certain
degree, although it operates as a digestive for the
time. It generally brings on bronchitis resulting
in asthma in some cases. It is the bad society and
not the charas that impairs the moral sense and
induces habits of immorality or debauchery. The
habitual use of charas tends to impotence. Case
may be different with those who use charas oc-
casionally for the purposes of debauchery only.
The smoking of charas affects the brain, the chief
organ and centre of mental powers, and therefore
deadens the intellect, however remote this effect
may be in its moderate use. The moderate use
of charas does not produce insanity.
The habitual moderate use of bhang produces
noxious effects—physical or mental. It does not
impair the constitution in any way, nor it injures
the digestion, nor causes the loss of appetite. It
does not cause dysentery, bronchitis or asthma.
Bhang does not in itself impair the moral sense
and induce habits of immorality or debauchery,
but in exceptional cases bhang is used for the
purposes of debauchery. It does not deaden the
intellect or produce insanity.
46. The noxious effects of charas are the same
in its habitual excessive use as have been stated in
my answer to question No. 45, with the difference
that in cases of excessiveness those effects are more
rapid and noxious. By habitual excessive con-
sumer is meant, as I understand, a person who is
most of the time under the effect of the drug, and
has hardly any fixed time for taking it. The
moral sense of such men is impaired and habits of
laziness produced. Insanity resulting from the
consumption of charas is a thing of a very rare
occurrence, to which men of old age, and con-
sumers of long standing do not bear personal
testimony, It is a thing which is more said than
seen.
The habitual excessive use of bhang produces
no noxious effects, physical or mental. It does
not impair the constitution if the consumer is
properly fed. It does not injure the digestion or
cause loss of appetite. It does not cause dysentery,
bronchitis or asthma. It impairs the moral sense
to some extent and induces laziness and makes one
look idiotic while under the effect of the drug. It
does not produce insanity.
47 and 48. The habitual moderate use of charas
and bhang does not appear to be a hereditary habit
or to affect in any way the children of the moder-
ate consumer.
49. The use of charas by eating and that of
bhang by eating or drinking in small quantity,
whether alone or as a compound with other medi-
cines, is supposed to be as an aphrodisiac and is
occasionally practised as such; but, as a matter of
fact, it does not excite any desire for sexual con-
nection, All it does is to afford a retaining power
to the consumer when so engaged. Charas and
bhang are used by many prostitutes as an aphro-
disiac. The use for this purpose is not more in-
jurious than its use as an ordinary narcotic. The
use of hemp, I mean charas, tends to produce im-
potence, and one of the reasons why the Hindu
fakirs use it is that they may have no desire for
sexual connection.
50. Charas and bhang are not excessively used
for the purposes mentioned in question No. 49.
51. There is no large proportion of bad charac-
ters habitual moderate consumers of charas and
bluing. The moderate use of charas and bhang
has no connection with crime in general or with
crime of any special character.
52. There is no large proportion of bad charac-
ters habitual excessive consumers of charas and
bhang. The habitual excessive consumers of bhang
and charas who, when they have no means to procure
the drugs to gratify their desire, may sometimes be
thus induced to employ unfair means or to commit
petty thefts to obtain their objects.
53. To the first part of this question I refer to
my answer to the last portion of the question
No. 52. My answer to the latter part of this
question is that I know of no such case.
54. Bhang and charas are not used by criminals
to fortify themselves to commit crimes except by
criminals who are habitual consumers.
55. Criminals sometimes, in order to further
their designs, induce their victms to partake of
ganja, charas and bhang for the purpose of stupe-
fying their victims. Complete stupefaction cannot
be thus induced by these drugs without ad-
mixture.
56. I am afraid I have not fully understood this
question; however, so far as I could understand, I
make an attempt to answer it.
There are two ways of modifying the effects of
bhang and charas by the admixture of other sub-
stances; whether the use be moderate or in excess,
one is to increase and the other to make the effect
mild. In the case of charas its effect depends on
the quantity of prepared tobacco mixed for smok-
ing. In other words, the more the tobacco, the
milder the effect, and vice versa. Dhatura is
administered with charas for others by designing
persons for criminal purposes. It is very seldom
or never mixed for personal consumption.
The effect of bhang is modified by admixture of
all or some ingredients of the massala described in
my answer to question No. 29. Some of the in-
gredients are mixed to give relish to bhang, others
to make its effect mild, and some for their medi-
cinal properties as tonic for brain, etc., etc.
Dhatura is also administered with bhang to others
by designing persons for criminal purposes,