80
41. _Evidence of DOORGA DAS SEN, Baidya, Assistant Surgeon, Warora.
1. The following informations have been ob-
tained from actual observations and enquiries
among the workers employed at this colliery, as
well as from my general experience as a medical
man.
19. Ganja, I believe, is exclusively used for
smoking.
20. As a rule, the low caste people smoke ganja ;
about 15 per cent., I understand, of the workers of
this colliery are used to it. Charas is not used at
this place.
21. The ' flat' and the ' chur' or broken ganja
are generally used by the people; the former
being comparatively dearer, is used by those who
can afford to get it, and the latter by the more
poor classes. The other variety, viz., the round
ganja,' is seldom or never used by the people of
these provinces.
23. Bhang is never used for smoking here.
24. Bhang is largely used chiefly by the upper
classes of the Hindu people and generally they
drink it in the hot weather, mixed with some mas-
salas or with milk and sugar, with an impression
that it has a cooling and refreshing effect on the
body and the mind. Some, however, especially of
the poorer classes, would either habitually or
occasionally eat this drug. They mix up the
broken leaves of bhang with treacle into a pulpy
mass and divide it into balls which they call " gur
bhang," and eat them daily as often as they
would.
26. Ganja—
( a ) 10 per cent. of labourers.
( b ) 5
,,
,,
(c)
Nil.
(d)
Nil.
Bhang—
( a )
N i l .
(b)
N i l .
(c) about 10 per cent.
( d ) ,,
5 ,,
27. As stated above, bhang is chiefly used by
the upper classes of the Hindu labourers, viz.,
Brahmins, Kshatria, etc., etc.; ganja by the low
caste people, such as Chamars, Koris, Passees, etc.,
and some among the Muhammadans. People
take to the habit of smoking ganja and drinking
bhang with an idea that the said drugs have a
peculiar effect in giving tone to their muscles and
nerves, making them more active and energetic
and better fitted for hard and risky labour. It is
an established fact that persons addicted to such
habits easily convert others, among whom they
live and work, to the same habit;
e x p l a i n i n g t o t h e m t h e d e s i r e d e f f e c t s , r e a l o r i m a g i n a r y , o f t h e
drugs ; and thus we see that the practice of ganja
smoking and bhang drinking is prevalent to so
large an extent among the labourers of this, as, I
Average allowance
per diem.
Average cost
per diem.
28. Ganja—(a)
tola
7 1/2 p i e s .
( b )
1 „
1 anna 3 pies.
29. Tobacco is mixed invariably, and dbatura
occasionally, with the ganja ; the former to
moderate, and the latter to increase its narcotic
effects. Massala, such as black pepper, seeds of
cucumber, cardamom seeds, dried rose leaves, sweet
almonds, etc., are generally mixed with bhang;
sometimes sugar and milk instead. Dhatura is
never mixed with it, except in some rare cases,
when it is recorded to have been used with crimi-
nal intent.
30. Ganja and bhang are, I believe, as much
used in solitude as in company. Their use is ex-
clusively confined to the male sex. It is unusual
for children to consume these drugs.
31. Yes, the habit is easily formed, and once
formed it is difficult to break off. This remark
applies more strongly to ganja smoking than to
bhang drinking. The wretched smoker would
rather forego a meal than the " chillum " of his
ganja. There is not necessarily a tendency for the
moderate habit to develop into the excessive, either
in case of ganja smoking or bhang drinking.
32. I do not know of any other custom, social
or religious, in regard to the consumption of these
drugs than that a large proportion of the Hindus
would drink a cup of bhang during the Holi
festival, even those who had not touched it on any
other occasion. Some would drink during the
time to an excess ; but this is not likely to lead to
the formation of habit, or is otherwise permanent-
ly injurious.
33. The habitual ganja smoking is certainly
regarded by the general public as a moral weak-
ness, even a vice ; and the reason is obvious, for
the poor smoker is degraded in the eyes of the
public and is looked down as a fallen creature,
who is never to be believed or trusted : such,
however, is not the case with bhang drinking,
habitual or occasional. There is no custom of
worshipping the hemp plant on any occasion that
I know of.
34. However serious the privation would be
to any class of consumers to forego the consump-
tion of the drugs for a certain number of days, the
effect is only temporary, for instances have often
been observed in jails, where a convict, who had
been a hard smoker, has, as a matter of course,
left off the habit during his sojourn in the jail,
with perfect impunity, except for the first few
days, when he was rather out of sorts.
38. The action of the two varieties of ganja,
viz., t h e ' f l a t ' a n d t h e ' c h u r , ' d i f f e r s mo r e i n
degree than in kind; the former is superior to the
latter.
I do not think there is any real difference in
effect between smoking, eating, and drinking any
of these drugs.
40. Never to my knowledge.
41. Some good effects are attributed to the use
of these drugs, such as have been given in reply
to query 27.
42. I do not think that even the moderate use
of these drugs is harmless, far less that it is bene-
ficial in any way. For even the moderate use
would, in time, produce almost the same remote
effects as a more free use of them.
43. Yes, generally they are inoffensive.
44. The immediate effect seems to be refresh-
ing ; it does not in a moderate habitual consumer
produce actual intoxication, but rather exhilaration.
It allays hunger to some extent and creates appe-
tite in case of bhang drinking. The effects are
temporary and would last for a few hours only.
The after—effects are undoubtedly bad, such as
gradual loss of muscular and nervous tone, deprav-
ity of moral character, inducing the victim to
cowardice and crime; some would go insane, others
confirmed imbeciles. Diseases, such as bronchitis,
asthma, functional derangement of the heart,
diarrhœa, dysentery, and the like come on in ad-
vanced years and prove very obstinate.