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3. About forty years ago wild ganja plants were
abundant on the Shevaroys. I saw them there;
but I do not know whether they are to be found
there now. Since then I have not seen abundant
spontaneous growth anywhere else.
4. The plant is known in these parts by one
name only, viz., ganja plant.
5. It grows well in alluvial and black soils. All
that is wanted is good manure. Elevation is
necessary for spontaneous growth.
6. The growth of the wild hemp was observed
by me to be both dense and scattered. It was for
the major part scattered.
7. There is a little of the ganja plant cultivation
in my district of Salem. They are all for the
production of ganja alone. One-fourth of the
houses of Salem have on an average half a dozen
ganja plants in each back-yard. The same number
of plants can be found in at least 2 per cent. of the
fields in the villages of Salem, Ather and Nama
- k a l t a l u k s .
8. Hitherto cultivation of the ganja plant was
very rare. But it has now considerably increased,
since inure people resort to its uses now than
before.
9. The seeds are sown at first and the small
plants are then transplanted. Sheep dung and.
fowls' dung are its chief manure. Much depends
on the prunings and proppings to produce good
ganja.
10. Except the Brahmins, Komutties, and Piere
- s i n i t e s , a l m o s t a l l o t h e r p e o p l e c u l t i v a t e i t . T h e
cultivation is not restricted to a particular class.
11. Yes.
12. We don't distinguish between wild ganja
and domesticated ganja. What you call hemp are
called ganja. I have heard of immense cultivation
of ganja on the Javadi hills in North Arcot
district. Everywhere the male plant is done away
with.
1 3 . N o n e h e r e r e s t r i c t s t h e c u l t i v a t i o n o f g a n j a .
I do not know of any district where it is restricted.
No special conditions are necessary for the culti
- v a t i o n o f g a n j a . O f c o u r s e a h i g h l e v e l h e l p s t h e
growth. It can be grown anywhere if one knows
the methods.
1 4 . C h a r a s a n d b h a n g a r e n e w n a m e s t o m e ,
and I know not what they are. Ganja is the only
natural product here known of, though we make
matti lahiam and poornathi from it.
15. (A) Ganja is had naturally from the flow
- e r i n g t o p s o f t h e p l a n t . A l l t h a t i s r e q u i r e d t o
make it useful is to look to the ripe time, pluck it
out, and put it under weight and dry it. This is
used in this state for smoking.
(B) Ganja is fried, powdered, and mixed only
with jaggery and ghi and then eaten.
It is
also boiled, and the juice mixed with sugar
, ghi, and several other ingredients is called poornathi.
This is also eaten.
( C ) I t i s n o t d r u n k h e r e i n a n y w a y .
16. All ganja, matti lahiam and poornathi are
generally prepared by the people in their houses.
These can be prepared both from the wild and
domesticated plants wherever they may be grown.
17. I can mention no particular class.
18. Ganja can be kept for a year. It certainly
deteriorates by being kept. Matti lahiam and
poornathi can last for no more than a fortnight.
A s I know ganja alone, I shall hereafter speak of
that only.
1 19. Ganja in its ordinary and raw state is used
for smoking only. If made into matti lahiam and
poornathi it can be eaten.
21. Flat ganja alone is used in these parts.
25. The use of ganja has considerably increased
during the last one decade. I am now 60 years
old. While I was 35 there was not even a fourth
of the present use. The spread of the use is
entirely due to bad example.
26. (a ) and ( b ) Of the consumers of ganja in
any form, there will be only 15 per cent, who are
habitual excessive consumers, the rest being habi
- t u a l m o d e r a t e c o n s u m e r s .
(c) There are no occasional consumers at all.
Once they get to the habit, people can never shake
it off.
27. These consumers are mostly taken from the
artizan, weaving and other labouring . classes. It
is the muscular exhaustion and pain caused by
hard and incessant labour that leads people to this
sort of intoxication.
28. ( a ) Habitual moderate consumers require
between one and three pies ganja a day.
(b ) Excessive consumers can take no more than
one alma ganja a day.
29. ( a) Tobacco is ordinarly and always used
mixed with ganja while smoking. With tobacco
there will be no intoxication in smoking ganja.
To be eaten as matti lahiam, only jaggery and ghi
are mixed with fried and powdered ganja.
(b) To be eaten as poornathi, which is excep
- t i o n a l , s o m e m i x f i g s e e d s . b a n i o n s e e d s , n u t m e g i ,
cloves, etc., numbering 68 kinds, including ghi
and jaggery. I know not what bhang massala is'
30. Smoking ganja is always invariably prac-
tised in c
o m p a n y . G a n j a e a t i n g i s g e n e r a l l y
practised in solitude. Gaut smoking and eating
are generally confined to the male sex. But there
are a few women also who, I know, do both with
ganja. In its poornathi form it is given to chil
- d r e n t o c u t e t h e m o f m a n t h a m o r i n d i g e s t i o n
occasionally, but never daily.
31. The habit is easily formed within a week's
time. It is afterwards difficult to break it off,
though a resolute mind can do so with much
difficulty, The habit very naturally and unobserv
- e d l y l e a d s t o e x c e s s .
32. Ganja is considered by the people as a
sacred sacrifice to Idumban, karuppan, Veeraba
- d r a n , M a r u d a V e e r a n , M u n i a p p a n , a n d s u c h o t h e r
devil deities. Sacrifice of ganja is essential in
worshipping.; the above deities. Small quantities
would do sacrifices like these; generally bring
about the habit.
Gifts of ganja to pardesis or sanyasis is consi
- d e r e d t o b e a g r e a t p i e c e o f c h a r i t y . S e v e r a l
people have built public places for the purpose.
33. Ganja smoking and eating are universally
looked down upon by the people. Those who
consume it certainly suffer a social degradation.
The habits are held in disrepute, because they
I result in mean habits on the part of the consumer.
The ganja plant is not worshipped. It is only
ganja that is offered as a sacrifice to the deities.
34. It will be a great hardship to the habi
- t u a l c o n s u m e r s t o f o r e g o t h e c o n s u m p t i o n . B u t
absolute prevention will not bring about insanity
or death. for two or three months the consumers
will and can think of nothing else. Then it will
be all right.
35. It will be impossible, in my opinion, to
prohibit the use of ganja. In some way or other,