149
58. I am satisfied with present excise arrange
-
ments as regards both ganja and bhang. I get
what little bhang I use from friends returning
from Marwar. There is no occasion to make
foreign bhang more easy to buy.
65. I consider it unreasonable that the whole
-
sale vendor of ganja should be bound to sell to
retail vendors at Rs. 3 per seer, while no restric
-
tion is placed on the amount which retail vendors
may charge. The result is that the poor have
to pay at the rate of Rs. 10 per seer. I think
retail vendors should be restricted to a maximum
charge not exceeding Rs. 5 per seer. This would
be a great help to the poor, and not reduce
Government revenue. It would not result in
any injurious excess of ganja smoking. The
labouring poor need their ganja, and it does them
good and not harm.
69. There is no harm from a ganja shop that
its location in a public place should be objected to,
and no one entertains any such objection. It is
a public convenience to have a ganja shop in the
bazar.
Oral evidence.
Question 20.—In stating this proportion of
consumers, I speak from my observation in the
district in which I live.
Question 25.— I have observed the increase d
e -
scribed. I can give no reason for it. Liquor
drinkers have not turned to ganja. People are
poor and ganja indulgence is cheap. Ganja does
not save expense in ordinary food.
Question 26 .—Fakirs sometimes consume ganja
to excess. Other people do not exceed 2 or 4
c h i l l u m s .
Question 44.—I drink bhang on no occasion
but the Holi. That is a convivial occasion, and so
I take it then. I should not consider it any fault
to take bhang day by day, but it would be very
expensive, as I import my bhang from Marwar.
Question 45.— I have never seen any person
become insane from ganja. I have seen people
talk nonsense from ganja smoking, but I do not
call that losing their heads.
Question 58.—All people cannot afford to im
-
port bhang from Marwar. It is proper that
b h a n g
should be expensive and ganja cheap. Poor
p e o p l e
would never drink bhang. The ingredients re
-
quired to mix with bhang are expensive.
Question 65.— The retail sellers make inordinate
profits.
Question 59.—I do not think further restric
-
tion should be imposed on ganja or bhang. These
things are expensive enough. One pice (3 pies)
only suffices for one chillum, affording a draught
to three or four people. If restriction were im
-
posed, the ganja smoker would not take to liquor
or dhatura. I can't answer for opium. I consi
-
der the hemp drugs as preferable to liquor. Opium
intoxication comes slowly, and is in that respect
inferior to ganja. I refer to opium eating. Madak
smoking is the worst form of intoxication.
Question 30.— A few women do smoke ganja.
They are women of lower classes, the same as
would smoke madak. I do not know that they
are prostitutes who indulge in this habit.
78. Evidence* of ONKAR DAS, Agarwalla Bania, Mahajan, Seoni-Chapara.
1. General observation; nothing special.
2. Definition of ganja correct. Bhang and cha
-
ras not sold in this district. I have seen them
when visiting my native country, Patiala State, in
the Punjab.
3. Ganja does not grow spontaneously in this
division, and I never heard of its growing unsown.
Sometimes plants grow from seed rejected and
thrown away out of purchased ganja.
14. Ganja is only grown in the Nimar district
of these provinces.
19. Ganja is only smoked. Exceptionally some
chew ganja with opium, and swallow it: about
1
in 100 consumers, who desire strong intoxicating
effect. Ganja is also given in gur as a pill for
relief of persons suffering from ordinary fever and
from dysentery. For dysentery patients opium is
added.
Also bhang is boiled in water with a little ghee
for about an hour, then the ghee is strained off, and
used to rub on patients suffering from fever and
sunstroke, and pains in the body. For persons
who suffer from burning feet or palms of their
hands, this ointment affords immediate relief. Also
bhang is toasted in a pot over fire, and then mixed
with gur and given as a tonic to cattle and horses.
It relieves a tired animal and restores his appetite.
20. This town of Seoni contains about 12,000
inhabitants. Women and children do not use
ganja. Excluding them, I reckon that there are
5,000 men in Seoni, of whom 500 or 10 per cent.
are more or less addicted to ganja. Possibly 1 in
100 women may indulge in ganja. All the labour
-
ing and artisan classes are addicted to ganja.
23. Bhang is not used for smoking.
24. Bhang is not eaten in this place, only a de
-
coction is prepared from bhang for drinking.
25. The use of ganja seems to be on the in
-
crease. I can assign no special reason. The use
of all intoxicants is on the increase; not ganja
more than opium or liquor. I believe that the use
of ganja used to be much more than at present
.
Since Government have restricted the cultivation,
less ganja is being used, though the Government
sales show increase. I believe the increase in sales
of duty-paid ganja results from more and more
complete stoppage of the consumption of illicit
ganja. Formerly people used to grow ganja, every
man in his own bari. I remember when ganja
was selling at 8 seers for the rupee, and imported
ganja at 4 seers per rupee. This was 25 years ago.
Now ganja is sold wholesale to retail vendors at
Rs. 3 per seer, and is retailed at rates averaging
Rs. 10 per seer. Of course consumption must have
been checked.
In the same way the use of bhang is being
checked by the difficulty of getting the good
foreign bhang.
26. Out of every 100 consumers of ganja, I
estimate
—
( a ) 20 per cent. to be habitual moderate con
-
sumers.
(b
) 10 per cent. habitual excessive consumers.
(c) 60 per cent. occasional moderate consumers.
(d) 10 per cent occasional excessive consumers.
100