334
water, and mixing milk, sugar and perfumery in
it, drink it. Poor people who can't afford all
these spices to mix, drink it simply in water,
mixing only pepper and aniseed with it.
17. There is no particular class of men. Charas
saljehan is prepared by the hill tribes of Nepal,
charas Yarkand by the Kabulis, ganja baluchar
by every cultivator in Bengal, ganja pathari in
Khandwa and Gwalior. Bhang grows spontane-
ously, and men collect and sell it only to the au-
thorised contractors.
18. Bhang can last ten years if filled in gunny
bags and placed on elevated ground to preserve it
from cold and wet. Ganja also lasts for the same
period, if kept as carefully as bhang. If kept in
a warm place, Yarkand charas lasts at least for
five years ; saljehan for eight years, but that
would sell as second class one; and the Kashmir
charas lasts for ten years. In spite of this care,
it begins to lose its efficacy after 3 or 4 years,
but to test this is left in the hands of the Civil
Surgeons in accordance with the Abkari rule.
19. Ganja and charas are smoked in a chillum
(country pipe) by mixing it with dry or smoking
tobacco with the aid of fire. Formerly in Lucknow
City, charas, saljehan and Yarkand, was first
mixed in butter (ghee), and then its essence was
extracted. Then this essence was thrown in
boiling sugar and round pieces (like reori) made
of it. These pieces of charas compound were called
"falak sair." But since recently this has been
put a stop to. If in any year on account of
heavy rains and wet weather bhang's efficacy
seem reduced, then in that year the essence of
ganja's chur is extracted by mixing it with ghee
and a compound of this essence with sugar is
formed in the shape of barfis called majum.
20. Mostly the fakirs who roam about in bands
and low caste men and labourers use this in
excess. I can't tell their exact number nor any
particular place, as such persons have none.
21. In Bengal, North-Western Provinces and
in some districts of Oudh, ganja, baluchar, pathar,
chur, etc., is smoked in a chillum. There is no
other way to smoke it. Ganja, pathar, chur, etc.,
is smoked in a chillum in some of the districts
of the North-Western Provinces and in all the
districts of Oudh, and also in some of the Native
States and in Central Provinces.
22. No one cultivates the plant to make coun-
try charas. The places of its import are fixed
as is already said in previous answers. They
are the Punjab, Ladakh, Yarkand, Kabul, Kash-
mir and Bokhara.
23. Bhang is now here smoked in a chillum,
nor are there any men I know of who do so.
Perhaps where ganja and charas is not produced
or is not procurable, it might have been smoked.
24. The Chaubes of Muthra and Brindaban
eat bhang excessively in solid pill form, and
also drink it in water : some fakirs also use it,
but generally it is drunk not eaten. A. great
proportion of men who live in Muthra and Brin-
daban use bhang in excess.
Often poets and
bards use this simply to intensify their imagin-
ative power.
25. The use of all these three substances is
daily increasing, specially the abolition of chandu
and madak shops have added much to the increase
in their use.
26. The following is the proportion of con-
sumers :—
Bhang.
Ganja.
Charas.
(a) 10 per cent. 25 per cent. 25 per cent.
(b) 5 „
(c) 5
„
(d) 3 „
15
„
9
5
„
5
3
„
4
„
[in melas (faire)
„ and tamashas
(shows).]
„
27. If enquiry be made, then such persons
will be found mostly among the fakirs, low caste ;
these persons are habituated to the intoxication,
and in all circumstances they find it very sooth-
ing.
28. (a) Habitual moderate consumers, from
3 pies to 1 anna.
(b) Habitual excessive consumers, from 2 annas
to 8 annas.
29. The spices that are mixed with bhang are
pepper, aniseed, cardamoms, almonds, etc. These
can be had in market at spicery shops. It is
said that in places where charas is made, there
the persons to intensify its intoxication mix
along with it powdered dhatura or kuchila. But
the charas so made is an adulterated sort of it
and in the case of saljehan it is called khumri or
pattan, while in that of Yarkand they call it
kachchi bhuri.
30. Every person is authorised to take ganja
up to 5 tolas, charas up to 5 tolas, and bhang
up to 4 chattacks, and in assembly some use even
in greater quantities than these.
Beyond 50
years the power to consume in such great quan-
tities is lost. Now-a-days children of 12 years
and upwards, especially of kahars, kurmis and
chamars and other low castes, get into the use
of these drugs in one form or the other.
31. The habit of eating bhang is easily acquired,
while that of smoking ganja and charas is ac-
quired gradually. Men use ganja and charas
at first for fashion only and in moderate dose.
Afterwards the use reaches to an excessive degree
and it is difficult to give it up at once. On the
other hand, it is noticed that it is often not very
difficult to give up the habit of using these
things. For instance, if any one is imprisoned
in jail, his habit is easily given up and he does
not feel inconvenient without them ; or if he
happens to go in such a place where men do not
talk even of these things, then too it is quite
possible that his habit is easily given up. There
are principally three ways of giving up the habit,
(1) compulsory, one as is the ease with jail, etc.,
(2) penury, (3) the not being able to get it.
32. There is no custom, national or religious,
binding for the use of these drugs, nor the use
is thought essential ; if there is any custom at
all it is found more or less in the case of bhang.
It is used in worship and also as a medicine. On
the other hand, the use of ganja and charas is
generally injurious.
33. The use of any of these things is not
thought good. More especially the consumers of
ganja and charas are not thought to be gentlemen.
The use of these brings on nick-name. No custom,
national or religious, is connected with the use.
Only the bhang is offered in worship, and this
thing is far better than either ganja or charas.
34. The persons who will be most inconvenienced
if they are prohibited from the use of these
drugs, are fakirs who live in gangs, i.e., Nagas,
followers of Nanak and Redaseer, etc., who have