48
it and consume it to a great quantity is 2 per cent.
The average of the persons who seldom take it is
8 per cent. The average of the persons who use
it seldom but in great quantities is 5 per cent. of
the whole population of the district.
27. The persons of the Hindu community who
belong to Shivai sect, such as gosains, etc., have
introduced the consumption of the drug. On
the festival day of Shivaratri ganja, bhaug and
the fruits of dhatura are offered to Shiva in
worship, and generally the people in token of the
remnant of offer drink bhang. The persons who
smoke ganja, smoke it.
28. The average expense of the addicted moder-
- a t e c o n s u m e r i s 3 p i e s a d a y , b e c a u s e i n 1 ½ p i c e
ganja 4 annas in weight is available which is
sufficient for two times and that of bhang 1 pice
per day : one anna's worth ganja is sufficient for
an addicted person who can consume much, and
half an anna's worth of bhang.
As they do not smoke charas here, therefore
I cannot say anything about it.
29. They do not smoke charas here. Generally
they mix tobacco with it and then smoke it.
They mix black pepper, sonph and coriander
seed with bhang. They do not mix the seed of
dhatura with it; but if they intend to trouble or
injure anybody, they mix the seeds of dhatura
with it in order to heighten the intoxication,
whereby the smoker is put to great troubles.
Bhang is also used as medicine, which is then
called thandai. Grocers sell it, but it is not used
in these provinces. It is sold in the cities of
North-Western Provinces, where they much con-
- s u m e b h a n g . S o n p h , c o r i a n d e r s e e d , b l a c k p e p p e r ,
rose flowers, seeds of kakri, kashini, cardamoms
are mixed with the powdered drug. They also
drink it with sugar and milk.
30. All the abovementioned drugs, charas,
bhang and ganja are smoked in company. They
do not appear good in solitude. It is confined to
males only. The average of the female consumers
is nil .Charas is not smoked in the provinces.
But in Oudh, and specially in Lucknow, women
also smoke it. There they are known by the name of
Sakin, that is, the providers of tobacco and charas.
Ganja produces a very strong intoxication. The
women cannot bear the puffs of its smoking,
therefore they do not smoke it. But no doubt
they, to a small extent., drink Chang as thandai in
Holi festival. But they do not drink it always.
Their boys consume these drugs—bhang or majum
—in Holi festival. All the abovementioned drugs
are commenced from the beginning of the age of
puberty, and when they have become slaves to
them, they are obliged to continue them till their
old age. Some persons leave them also. No-
body begins their use in old age because they are
injurious in that age. They no doubt generally
begin to use opium in the old age.
31. People beco me addicted to smoke charas
and ganja by smoking it a few times only, be-
- c a u s e o f t h e i r l i k i n g t o d o i t . C o n s u m e r s o f
bhang do not soon become addicted to it, because
the people generally drink it as thandai in the
summer season and leave it off in the winter and
rainy seasons. Of all the three drugs, bhang can
be left off soonest ; and charas and gauja, by di-
minishing its use, can be left off by degrees. The
persons that are addicted to smoking charas and
ganja moderately desire to consume a good
quantity,
32. As regards the smoking of chains, there are
no social or religious customs; nor is it sold
here. But the consumption of ganja and bhang
is social and religious in these provinces. In the
first place, ganja and bhang are offered. to Shiva
in worship on the Shivaratri festival, and on that
festival they take it in the way of offerings. Se-
- c o n d l y , t h e B r a h m i n g r o c e r s u s e b h a n g , g a n j a
and majum in the Holi festival by way of hospi--
tality in feasts. It is simply used to divert the
mind moderately. They either eat or drink bhang
or majum as offering on the Shivaratri and Holi.
They do not become addicted to them by doing
so. They are not injured by them. It is no
doubt injurious when taken in great quantities.
The consumption of ganja is restricted to those
who have smoked it some time.
33. Generally, and as a rule, their consumption
is considered bad, but the general opinion, both
social and religious, is to use it in the way of
offering, so that one may be able to divert himself
by keeping his thoughts aloof for some hours from
the anxieties of the world. Charas is not smoked
in these provinces. The gentlemen consider con-
-sumption of ganja bad. The noblemen abstain
from this. Generally it is restricted to fakirs,
Gosains and other menial castes. They very
seldom take bhang. They take it in the summer
season and. Holi festival as thandai, but they are
not censured for this. They do not worship the
hemp plant.
34. The fakirs and gosains no doubt, who under
religious restrictions, smoke hemp to keep their
minds aloof from worldly anxieties, will object to
quit it. The sailors, water-carriers, palanquin
bearers, who generally have to deal with water,
Will also object. Five per cent. of the Hindu
community will raise objections.
35. Both charas and ganja are injurious for
man's health, It is advisable to put a stop to
their use. Bhang does not injure anybody's
health; it need not be stopped. The people will,
no doubt, murmur if the cultivation and sale of
these drugs is stopped. But if a heavy tax is
levied upon the drugs, it is presumed that in
course of time it will diminish day by day. Less
leniency might be shown as to the right of law-
- f u l l y k e e p i n g d r u g s , t h a t i s t o s a y , i n s t e a d o f 5
tolas of hemp, the limit may be reduced to 2 tolas,
and that of bhang, instead of ¼ seer, to one chit-
tack. The political administration will not suffer
in any way by so doing. If the drugs are at once
abolished, the people will incline to use other
drugs, because it goes hard with them to leave
the use of the drugs then and there. They, there-
- f o r e , w i l l s a t i s f y t h e m s e l v e s w i t h o t h e r d r u g s .
The mean castes will satisfy themselves with wine,
and the fakirs with the seeds of dhatura and
bachnag, the poisonous drugs.
36. Wine is not used instead of these drugs.
Intoxication from wine is quite different from that
of this drug. Secondly, the persons who are prohi-
bited from drinking wine by their religon will
prefer the use of these drugs, but those who drink
wine do not at all like these drugs, but of course
when compelled by their pecuniary circumstances,
they prefer ganja and bhang to wine to satisfy
themselves.
37. Charas does not produce strong in toxica-
tion. The intoxication brought on by hemp is
strong. Therefore the consumers of chains do not
at all desire to smoke ganja.
38. Round hemp is not produced in these pro-
vinces. There is a very slight difference between
flat and broken ganja, because both of them are the
same thing. When it is reduced to small particles