87
but the tax on flat ganja might be reduced with
advantage, so as to obviate the necessity for people
to have recourse to the other kinds of ganja, which
are comparatively unwholesome, to the same extent
as at present.
67. None.
68. None in this district.
Oral evidence.
Question 1.—My home is in Benares. I have
been Deputy Collector for two years in Mainpuri.
I am fourteen years in service. My answers relate to
the Mainpuri district for the most part, but are
also based on my general observation.
Question 2.—Flat ganja I call baluchar. Round
ganja I call pathar. I have heard of the Bengal
round ganja. The Bengal flat ganja does not
come as far as Mainpuri, and the Bengal round
ganja ceased to be imported some five years ago.
Pathar comes from Khandwa and Gwalior.
Question 16.—I speak from hearsay in saying
that ganja cannot be prepared from the wild plant.
In Mainpuri there is neither cultivation nor spon-
taneous growth of the hemp plant. My answer
does not refer to the northern districts, where the
wild plant grows.
Question 25.—I have never heard of a person
giving up the hemp drugs for liquor. I do not
think that the two habits are very distinct. On
the contrary, the intoxication produced by drugs
and liquor bears some resemblance. It is the lower
classes who have left liquor for drugs. I based my
opinion regarding the increased use of the drugs
partly on the increase of the hemp drug revenue
in my district, though this is not a very conclusive
test. The liquor revenue has also increased. That
is due to the increase of still-head duty. I should
think that there is nevertheless a decrease of con-
sumption which could be shewn if the liquor now
issued were raised to the former strength.
Question 38.—By round ganja I mean pathar
ganja. The information regarding flat ganja is
hearsay; that regarding round ganja is based on
my own observation. I remember the case of a
sadhu who became insane. He used to come to my
house to take his meals. He would go to the
burning ghats and handle skulls. I used to enter-
tain him out of charity. He was a learned man.
He used pathar ganja as well as I remember. He
could not afford the better kind. He consumed a
great deal. He used to speak of taking dhatura,
but I don't know if he did it. That statement
might be brag, for I never saw him take the drag.
He used to smoke 10 or 12 times a day ; sometimes
alone, and sometimes with companions. I attri-
buted his insanity to the ganja because I never saw
him take dhatura. He went to Benares or
Lucknow asylum about 16 years ago. He was
insane for three years, and left the asylum complete-
ly cured. I was then 18 years old.
I remember another case of a sadhu whom I
met at Allahabad who also went insane. He used
to talk incoherently. I don't know if he went to
an asylum. I thought, and other people said, his
insanity was due to ganja. It is possible the man
took dhatura. This was eight years ago. I never
saw him while he was sane. I only met him
during 10 or 12 days. I saw him smoke ganja.
It had no marked effect upon him. A kahar in
the service of one of my friends became insane from
smoking ganja. I saw him smoke repeatedly, and
I saw him when he was insane, and his master
attributed his insanity to ganja. I cannot say if
he had been insane previously. He was about 40
years of age. I don't know how long he had smoked
ganja. I know nothing of his family history.
These are all the cases I know personally.
Question 63.—We give the monopoly of a tehsil
to one farmer. He sublets his shops, and the shop-
keepers have to fix their prices according to his
bidding. This is preferable to small farms, where
the farmers would lower prices in competing with
one another. I should prefer to see fixed duties on
ganja. Such duties might also be imposed on
bhang. They might be levied as import duties on
all the drugs. I would advocate the imposition of
duties in order to raise prices in the case of all the
drugs except flat ganja. This opinion is the result
of my cogitations since answering the questions,
which I did rather hurriedly. I do not think my
plan would lower the price of the wholesome
baluchar, which is what I aim at; and perhaps my
proposal is not practicable.
53. Evidence of K. KAMPTA PERSHAD, Officiating Deputy Collector, Basti.
1. I served in District Kheri first as Tahsildar,
and again as Deputy Collector for a long time. I
was subsequently Excise Deputy Collector in
Bahraich district. These are the two ganja and
bhang-producing districts of Oudh. I had there-
fore many opportunities of acquiring some know-
ledge of matters connected with the use of these
and other intoxicating drugs.
2. Dr. Prain has given correct names of bhang,
and they are used in these provinces. Bhang is
known in this part of India by other names also,
viz., booti, bijia, and jooni. The book names not
generally known or used are mahlani, madni, and
ganja.
Besides the three varieties of ganja, viz., flat,
round, and broken, mentioned by Dr. Prain, there
are three others, namely, pathar, butwalia, and
mahadeva. I mean to say that ganja is of four
kinds—(1) baluchar; (2) pathar; (3) butwalia;
and (4) mahadeva, the three varieties given by Dr.
Prain being varieties of No. 1 (baluchar). The
definitions given by Dr. Prain of the varieties of
baluchar are correct. The definitions of the differ-
ent varieties are as follows : —
Pathar.—It is produced in Khandwa (Nimar
District), Jalgaon, and Nanirabad, and in Gwalior
territory. It is more intoxicating than baluchar.
It produces dizziness in the brain. Its smoke has
a bad taste, hence it is considered inferior to balu-
char.
Butwalia.—It is produced in Nepal Terai and
hills, and is considered inferior to pathar, as it is
stronger and more intoxicating than that kind of
ganja.
Mahadeva.—It
is chiefly produced in Tahsil
Negassan, Kheri district, and Balrampur, Gonda
district, as well as in Bahraich district. Its plant
is very similar in form to bhang plant. It is
stronger than the other varieties, and none but
poor people smoke it. It produces heat in the
brain.
Charas.—As regards this, my knowledge is
limited. I believe it is imported from Yarkand
and Nepal. It is supposed to be the resinous