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and he will shortly be sent to the lunatic asylum.
A barber, who used to come to my house in
Madras, became insane from ganja smoking, and
his brother told me a few days ago that he was
still insane. He was barber in my family for three
or four years. He is being looked after by his
relatives. I don't know when he became insane,
but I learnt in September 1892, when I visited
Madras, that he had become insane. I only come
to Madras during holidays and on special occa-
sions. I was told by his own brother and several
other persons that his insanity was due to ganja.
I never saw him take ganja or smoke it.
I enquired into the first case here mentioned in my
capacity as Magistrate, and ascertained that he
was a ganja smoker. I did not myself examine
witnesses. The enquiry was made through the
police and the Subordinate Magistrate of Chittor,
where I am stationed. The police produced the man,
and I ordered enquiry to be made. I gave orders
to the police who reported directly to me. I think
I issued order to the Subordinate Magistrate to en-
quire for the man's relations. I don't recollect
whether the Subordinate Magistrate touched upon
any other point in the case, but I recollect that the
police reported that the cause of insanity was ganja.
The station officer of the place where the man lives
wrote the report. The station officer is the head
constable in charge of a division. The report said
the man was a great ganja smoker, that his insanity
was due to it, that he was dangerous, and his rela-
tions declined to take charge of him. The report
covered, I think, one page of a printed form. The
report contained no account of the way in which the
enquiry had been conducted, no separate statement
of the witnesses, a mere statement that such and
such information was given by the relatives, and
the result arrived at. I learnt from the report
that the head constable had personally made local
enquiry from relations and others at the place
where the insane lived. What I received was a
summary of the result of that enquiry. I wrote
a letter to the District Surgeon which mentioned
the facts gathered in the enquiry, and requested
that the insane should be kept under observation,
but I did not forward the police report. This is
the usual procedure, When a case goes to the
asylum, the Medical Officer has to prepare forms
A and C.
Ganja-smokers and eaters become generally en-
feebled and emaciated, and get cough, and die of
asthma and general decay.
Question 47.—When I first made enquiry about
the hemp drugs, people told me that the children
of ganja smokers were weak and unhealthy, but
recently others have given me information to the
contrary effect. Personally, I have no knowledge
on the subject.
Question 58.—I think cultivation could be re-
stricted without difficulty. A prohibitive order
would have the effect of stopping cultivation in
back-yards, without any great interference with the
people, for there is not much of such cultivation,
and ganja can be had cheap in the bazar. There
would be no dissatisfaction among the people
worth speaking of. I speak of North Arcot,
Salem and Chingleput, at which last place my
family are managers of a shrine, where once a year
all the fakirs of the presidency assemble, and have
ganja among other things distributed to them.
38. Evidence of B. NARAYANAMURTY, Brahmin, Deputy Collector, Ganjam.
1. Having worked as Deputy Tahsildar of several
taluks, including Agency tracts, and Tahsildar in
the Vizagapatam district, and as General Charge
Deputy Collector of Chatrapur and Gumsur of the
Ganjam district, I have had opportunities of ob-
serving the growth of hemp plant, and obtaining
information regarding the uses, effects, etc., of
hemp drugs.
2. The names siddhi and subji are not in use
here, the terms applied to the dry leaves of the female
hemp plant being bhang or Patti. A liquid pre-
paration of these leaves is also termed bhang. The
word charas is unknown here. The dried flower-
ing tops of cultivated female hemp plant are
commonly called kalis. The three varieties of
ganja are (1) flat kali, (2) round kali, and (3)
gunda kali, equivalent to chur ; but the second
of these is rather scarce in these parts.
3. As far as I know, hemp plant does not grow
spontaneously in the Vizagapatam and Ganjam
districts.
4. It is known by the name of ganja in the above
two districts.
5 .
Wild hemp plant is not known here.
6 .
Not known.
7. Hemp plant is cultivated to a small extent in
back-yards of houses for the production of ganja
and for the use of bhang, the trees being few and
scattered.
8. The cultivation of hemp plant is rather on
the increase, but not to any considerable extent.
The increase is due to the rising of the price of
ganja, consequent on the exclusive right of its sale
being leased out under the rules in force.
9. Ganja seeds are first sown in a small bed
about June, and when the seedlings grow about
eight inches high, they are transplanted three or
four cubits apart from one another. As the plant
grows, the tops of the tender branches are severed,
so that it may put forth many branches and pro-
duce many kalis. The ground about the roots
is loosened, and goat's dung is applied as the best
manure. They do not require much watering.
When the tree is about to put forth kalis, they
cut open the stem to the length of one inch or so at
a height of about four inches from the ground, and
introduce a piece of broken potsherd into the open-
ing thus made. The heads of serpents are occa-
sionally buried at the root by some whenever pos-
sible, while others fond of intoxication introduce
into the stem pieces of opium instead of pieces of
broken potsherd. As the growth of the tree pro-
gresses, and before kalis make their appearance,
the branches are carefully twisted three or four
times. This process tends to increase the number
of twigs and with them kalis. Male plants are
removed and destroyed. Female plants yield
kalis to which small leaves are adhered. The
trees are allowed to grow until the seeds in the
kali become black and leaves red brown, and then
they are cut about February or the beginning of
March. The twigs with kalis are separated and
exposed to the sun and dew for a day or two, and.
then placed under a good weight by which the
kalis are flattened. They are again exposed to
the sun and dew, and this process is continued
until the ganja is fit for use. These kalis are
separated from the twigs as necessity arises. Until
then they are bundled up in straw.
10. The cultivation is not confined to any