39
corner of villages in the inner valleys of the
Himalayas, which the daily offices of the people
provide with a plentiful supply of manure.
7. The hemp plant is cultivated for its fibre
and seeds in the inner valleys of the Himalayas.
9. The seed is sown in May at the rate of 30
seers to the acre, and the plants are kept carefully
weeded. By September they usually attain a
height of 12 to 14 feet. In the hemp the male
and female organs are contained in separate flowers
and borne on separate plants. The male plants,
called phul bhang, yield the best fibre, and they
are cut a month or six weeks before the female
plants (gul bhang), which are allowed to stand
until their 6eed ripens. The stalks are laid in
water to promote fermentation, which allows the
bark to strip easily. On being taken out they are
beaten with mallets to loosen the bark, which is
then detached by hand in strips, and after a
second beating breaks up into a fibre, which is
made up into hanks for sale. In some places the
fibre is boiled in potash and bleached before spin
ning.
10. The cultivation of hemp is confined to the
lowest class of cultivators. The higher castes
consider it beneath their dignity to grow hemp.
It is this prejudice which has made the phrase
"May hemp be sown in thy house" as one of the
commonest abusive imprecations. See "Kamaun
Gazetteer," Volume I, page 801.
11. The plants cultivated for the production of
ganja are seldom raised from the seed of the wild
hemp.
12. 1 am not aware that the wild hemp is any
where specially cultivated for the production of
ganja.
14. Charas is preparad from the hemp plant
f rown in the Himalayas in the locality where its
fibre is found to repay extraction. In the plains
of India the plant will not produce charas, and in
order to obtain its intoxicating secretion it is
necessary to gather the parts of the plant which
contain it. When these are immature female
flowers and floral envelopes the product is known
as ganja; when they are the leaves, it is the
bhang. A gummy exudation appears on the
flowers and the leaves, which, when rubbed or
scraped off, forms the drug known as charas.
15. The method of preparation from the culti
vated and wild plant are practically the same.
16. Bhang is not generally prepared by the
people in their houses. Ganja as well as bhang
can, however, be prepared from the hemp plant
wherever grown. Charas cannot be prepared from
the wild plants in the plains of India.
17. The preparations of the hemp drugs are
made by the lowest classes of cultivators for excise
contractors.
18. All the three drugs deteriorate by keeping,
and quite lose their effects after some time. Ganja
and bhang keep good with ordinary care for two
years, and charas for four or five years. Damp
atmosphere causes deterioration. To prevent this
the drugs should be kept in a warm and dry
place.
19. Ganja and charas are used only for smok
ing.
20. Generally speaking it is only the lowest
classes of people and religious mendicants that
smoke ganja and charas. Labouring classes and
boatmen also consume them. The consumption
is not confined to any particular localities. Roughly
speaking, 5 per cent. of the male population smoke
ganja and charas.
21. Chur ganja is the most favourite variety.
22. Foreign charas is chiefly used. It is import
ed from Central Asia, Yarkand, and Bokhara.
23. To the best of my knowledge bhang is
never U6ed for smoking.
24. Generally speaking the Brahmins (pandas)
and religious mendicants use bhang, but it is con
sumed more or less by all castes of the Hindus.
The proportion of consumers may be roughly put
down as 5 per cent. of the male population, viz.:—
(a) people who eat—.50 per cent.
(b) people who drink—4.50 per cent.
25. The use of ganja, charas and bhang is on
the increase, which may be attributed to the
increase of population.
26. Roughly speaking the proportion of the
consumers may be put down as follows :—
(1) Ganja and charas—
(a)—75 per cent.
(b)-25
„
(c) Almost nil.
(d)
(2) Bhang-
(a) 65 per cent.
(b) 25 „
(c) 10
„
(d) Nil.
27. Habitual moderate consumers of ganja and
charas are, generally speaking, restricted to labour
ing classes. Habitual excessive consumers are
generally religious mendicants and idlers. Occa
sional moderate consumers also belong to the lower
classes of people. Habitual and occasional mo
derate consumers of bhang are not drawn from
any particular class of the people ; but habitual
excessive consumers are generally religions mendi
cants and priests. Leisure, want of active occu
pation and low society are the circumstances which
mainly lead to the practice.
Average allowance.
28. (1) Charas—(a) ⅛ tola
(b) ½ „
(2) Ganja—(a) 6 mashas
(b) 12
„
(3) Bhang—(a) ⅛ chittack
(b) ¼ „
Cost per diem.
1 pice.
1 anna.
1 pice.
2 pice.
¼ pice.
½ pice.
29. The ingredients mixed with bhang are :—(a)
Ordinarily pepper, sonf, kasini, mulahti, and cu
cumber seed. (4) Exceptionally almonds, rose leaves
and cardamoms. These ingredients go by the
name of bhang massala, and the object of these
admixtures is partly to. neutralize the injurious
effects of the bhang and partly to make the pre
paration tasteful. Habitual excessive drinkers,
such as religious mendicants and bad characters,
also sometimes mix dhatura with bhang to in
crease its intoxicating properties.
30. The consumption of bhang is practised in
solitude or in company, but that of ganja and
charas is generally resorted to in company. The
consumption in each case is mainly confined to
the male sex between the age of 20 and 50. It is
not usual for children to consume any of these
drugs.
31. The habit of consuming any of the three
drugs is easily formed, and it is difficult to break
off. There is a tendency in the case of each of
these drugs for the moderate habit to develop into
the excessive.
32. Bhang is regarded as the favourite drink
of the god Shiva, and is drunk by the worshippers
of that deity on the occasion of the festivals over
which he is supposed to preside, viz. Shivratri (the