363
sumption at least of the more deleterious drug, and
in that case recourse would assuredly be had to
other intoxicants. In this case the income from
one would increase at the expense of the other.
66. Not applicable to the Punjab.
67. There is no present method of "taxing"
these drugs. They are merely liable to license
duty. If a heavy import duty were placed on
charas (it would have to be gradually introduced
and frequently raised to its maximum in the
Punjab), the present system of license fees on re-
tail sales is unobjectionable and should be con-
tinued. The license duty would doubtless suffer
at first, perhaps, in proportion to the incidence
of the tax ; but if the tax and license fee duty did
not decrease consumption, license fee would soon
recover itself.
68. No ; the system is simply the establishment
of shops for retail sale, where purchasers may
consume on the premises or not according to the
will of the licensee.
69. Local option has not been introduced. If it
were, the result would probably be a demand for
more shops.
70. There may be and probably is a little
smuggling of bhang from Jammu, but it must be
insignificant. Nothing noteworthy. Only as re-
gards indigenous bhang, of which we have no
official information.
Note.—Mr. Robinson, my head clerk, has re-
cently made a close study of the subject, and
knows more about it than I do. All my know-
ledge is general and from questioning local experts
when on tour. The general upshot is that con-
sumers prepare their own bhang from the wild
plant ; and that no interference with bhang is pos-
sible ; but that as regards charas and ganja, the
more effectual the restriction on their consumption
the better, provided that such restriction does not
drive consumers into seeking satisfaction from
alcohol, dhatura, or other intoxicants.
4. Evidence of LIEUTENANT-COLONEL J. B. HUTCHINSON, Commissioner of Lahore.
Oral evidence.
I have been thirty-one years in India and
twenty-six years in the Punjab Commission, chiefly
in Jhelum, Multan, Gurdaspur, Lahore and Simla.
I am now Commissioner of Lahore.
I have seen a good deal of the spontaneous
growth of the so-called wild plant in the Gurdaspur
district. It grows chiefly in the Pathankot
tahsil, but also largely in the Gurdaspur tahsil.
In the former I have noticed it chiefly on the
ridges between fields ; in the latter, chiefly on the
sides of the roads. Taking it all round, the
growth is common, very common ; and in some
places I have seen it growing densely. I have
not noticed the plant on the banks of rivers or
canals, though it probably is there. The places
where I have seen it in the Pathankot tahsil are,
however, irrigated by private canals. I am told it
grows in the hills in this tahsil ; but I have not
seen it. 1 have not noticed the wild growth in
any other district. The fact is that my attention
was not drawn to the subject until about four years
ago. The Excise Commissioner then wanted in-
formation about charas and my attention was
drawn to this plant ; and I made inquiries and
looked about me. I was informed that contrac-
tors employed coolies to collect the leaves for the
preparation of bhang for sale. It is also exported
from Gurdaspur to J hang, Montgomery, and Mul-
tan, probably also to Lahore and Amritsar. No-
thing is paid except for the labour of collecting.
I know of cultivation in small patches in the
Jhang and Multan districts ; but they are very
small patches, chiefly round fakirs' houses and such
places. This is report. I have not seen it. It
is cultivated elsewhere, but not (to my knowledge)
to the same extent. I was informed by the Deputy
Commissioner of Dera Ghazi Khan that it was
grown there to a certain extent. Where thus
cultivated, it is grown as a rule for local consump-
tion principally by the producers.
I know nothing about the charas trade. I do
not think that charas is made in the Punjab.
I believe Amritsar and Lahore would be the
natural market for the Yarkand trade ; but I do
not know about the trade.
In regard to use, I can only give what I have
been informed, that is, that bhang is chiefly
used by fakirs and religious persons of that kind
for the purpose of religious meditation and ab-
straction. It is also used by the lower classes.
I know bhang by the name of sukha. I do not
know the name "Thandai." There is a Punjab
proverb, "Rathi aphim, masha sukha," i. e., a
man may take without damage a rathi of opium,
or a masha of bhang. I know nothing of the use
of bhang by the higher classes. I am told Brah-
mans take it on the pretext of religion, but I
have not seen it. The real fact is that we do not
see the use of these things. It does not come
to our notice ; we do not hear of it.
As to charas, I cannot say who use it. I have
been given to understand that it is a higher class
that uses charas ; but I know nothing about it
myself.
I should think that a good proportion of the
people use these drugs, but not so many as use
opium. Thus any cultivator in the Gurdaspur
district will show you his little box of opium ;
but he will not carry about bhang with him.
1 think the religious classes take these drugs
more to excess than other classes. I have often
seen fakirs and sometimes also Purbia servants
(Kahars, etc.) with a peculiar look about them,
and been told it was due to bhang. It was a
sleepy abstracted look ; the men looked half out
of their proper senses. It was a hang-dog kind
of drunken look, not like the alcohol drunkard,
but depressed. I have seen this look on the same
face day after day, perhaps from renewal of the
doses. I was told it was from bhang. But I
cannot say whether it may not have been from
charas, as these names are loosely used here.
Those who use the drugs are religious classes
and the lower classes. It is chiefly in the towns
and not so much in the country. It is difficult
to say who are real Punjabis ; but certainly Sikhs
take these drugs very little.
As to the effects of the drugs, I cannot distin-
guish between bhang and charas ; for it is impos-
sible for me to say precisely which drug a man
uses. When taken in excess, the only permanent
effect I know of is emaciation. In this connec-
tion I must say that I depend on information
given me. I have seen emaciated men and have
been told that their condition has been due to
these drugs. In regard to temporary effects, I
am told that the effects of bhang and charas are
vol v.
3 D 2