158
ganja is burnt in the house of the dead person, the
smoke of which is supposed to reach the spirit of
the dead.
In the first instance the followers of the god
Shiva are bound to give the offering, and is there
-fore an essential ceremony. As for the Gonds,
the funeral ceremony described above is followed
invariably.
In Shivaratri holiday, bhang is used to a great
extent compared to ganja, and the consumption is
temperate only except in rare cases ; and these occa
-sional indulgences could not be supposed to form
into any habit or prove injurious.
33. Upon a social point of view, amongst the
Hindus of middle and higher classes, a ganja con--
sumer would be looked down somewhat, but a
bhang consumer will not in the least lose his pres--
tige, whereas, amongst the Muhammadans, the
consumer of anything intoxicating, being a high
sin, the consumer of any of these drugs amongst
them would be looked down very badly. Amongst
the high caste, or orthodox Hindus, a ganja or
bhang consumer would not be looked upon on a reli--
gious point of view, but if the consumer takes liquor
then he is at once outcasted.
Hemp plant is not actually worshipped by the
Hindus, but in the Veda it is reckoned with soma
plant as one of the five plants "which were liber
-ators of sin," viz ., pimpal, bar tree, odumbar tree,
palas tree, and soma. The witness thinks that,
properly speaking, the real soma plant is our bhang
plant, but to keep this secret from the public,
fabulous description of the soma plant of Vedas
and homa plant of Zend is given, though the effects
of these three (soma, homa, and bhang plant) are
the same when prepared in a peculiar manner.
34. Yes, it will be serious privation to the labour
-ing class of habitual moderate and excessive consu
-mers of ganja and bhang, as they will not be able to
work and support their families and could not get
some cheaper drugs to satisfy their longings.
35. It is not advisable to prohibit the use of
ganja or bhang. It is the only narcotic stimu--
lants for middle and poor classes. It will occasion
serious discontent among the consumers, and in
the Native States, where the cultivation is grown.
The prohibition will be followed by recourse to
dhatura seed, somal, wachhnag, and kuchla only.
The result will be something like the Govenment
introducing more idiotcy all over, as the mass of
people will not be able to pay for dearer alcoholic
stimulants, and in what repute the liquor is held,
I have already expressed the native opinion in
36. It is quite the reverse. According to my
experience as an Abkari Contractor, people are
leaving off the habit of drinking liquors day by
day, and are resorting to ganja instead, as this
drug is much cheaper than the country spirit.
The following statement will prove the same:—
YEARS,
Country spirit
issued from
Sadar, Dist ric t
S e o n i .
Amount of
ganja sold by
wholesale
vendor to retail
vendor in
Seoni
District.
Gallons.
M. s. c.
1888-89
. . .
18,480
67 12 4
1889-90 . . .
18,525
68 12 8
1890-91 . . .
14,580
68
6 0
1891-92 . . .
17,107
82 39 11
1892-93
. . .
13.761
79 17 14
37. The effect of smoking charas is -greater
than that of ganja, and more intoxicating, though
the effects of both drugs, charas and ganja, are
instantaneous.
38. The effect of baluchur, as regards to flavour
and intoxication, is the best; and next to this
pathar of Nimar side. The chur is of no use, as
even the poor will not willingly buy the same.
39. Bhang drinking and majum eating are less
injurious than the ganja. smoking. Ganja will
immediately affect the brain, while bhang will
take time to get the required effect. The appro-
priate names are given by Hindu sages. Bhang
is called "the joyous," "delight giver," "the
intoxicator," and ganja is called" the noisy."
40. Regarding the medicinal quality of bhang
and ganja, most valuable information can be
obtained from the Dictionary of the Economic
Products of India, Volume II, page 121. Bhang
leaves along with jaggery is generally given to
fatigued bullocks.
41. Moderate use of ganja ( ⅛ of a tola in
weight) one chillum before each dinner and supper,
and the same weight of bhang to be taken every
afternoon will have most beneficial effects in
respect to (a) , (b) and (c) . Ganja (d) in curing
dysentery. There is also reason to believe that
the ganja consumers are not attacked by the pile
disease.
Almost all the consumers of these drugs are
induced to use them for one or other of the above
-mentioned purposes (a), (b), (c) and (d), first in
moderate quantity, which gradually increases to
excess and becomes most harmful and loses all its
medicinal quality.
42. Please see Answer to No. 41.
43. Not only the moderate consumers, but the
habitual excessive consumers of ganja and bhang,
are inoffensive to their neighbours.
44, The immediate effect and great peculiarity
of both of these drugs upon a moderate consumer
is that his mind is actively concentrated to a
single subject only, and the subject invariably is
the same to which the consumer in his rational
state would be bent upon, be it religion, crime or
anything else. It is very refreshing. Produces
intoxication; it never allays hunger, on the con
- t r a r y i t p r o d u c e s a v e r y g o o d a p p e t i t e u p o n a
novice; the effect will last from 10 to 12 hours, and,
upon an ordinary consumer, for an hour only,
but the after-effects are very desponding upon a
novice. The after-effect of ganja will also pro
- d u c e h e a d a c h e . T h e l o n g i n g o r u n e a s i n e s s f o r
a subsequent gratification upon a novice will
depend upon his being associated with ordinary
consumers ; if in their company, he will have a
longing, otherwise not. The witness once had
occasion to take bhang and quite agrees with
the remarks of Mirza Abdul Razzak quoted in
the Dictionary of Economic Products of India,
Volume II, page 123: "It produces a ravenous
appetite * * * * excites wild imagining, a
sensation of ascending, with forgetfulness of all
that happens during its use, and such mental
exaltation, that the beholder attributes it to super
-natural inspiration."
45. The habitual moderate use ( i.e .,⅛ o f a
tola per diem) will not produce any noxious
effects, physical or mental, as long as the consu
- m e r g e t s h i s r e g u l a r n o u r i s h m e n t , b u t , w h e n e v e r
he is not able to get the same nourishment, he
will have some bad physical effect, but not mental.
It will not affect his morals in any way at all.
Under this circumstance, it will not impair the