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125. Evidence of ABDUL KARIM SAHIB, Native Physician, Namakkal, Salem District.
1. From observations and from personal ex-
perience in making lagiums, etc., out of the drug
for the last 10 or 12 years.
3. In parts of Namakkal taluka the plant is
seldom cultivated in one or two fields. In Kalar-
gari, Meedalapatty, and Sehamppapatty villages
the plants are so cultivated.
14. Ganja only to a small extent.
16, As far as I know, preparations of charas or
bhang is not made anywhere here. Ganja can
be so prepared.
19. Ganja is used for smoking. Laginms,
such as matharakameswari, massthanachenthamoni,
thathupusti, are made out of it. The leaves of
the plant with other medicinal drugs are applied
for headache.
20. Hill tribes and bairagis. Two per cent. of
the population of Kusba Namakkal would smoke
ganja.
28. For smoking purposes, 1 pie for a day.
Ganja is mixed with tobacoo and smoked. For
the consumption of 15 days, 1 pie worth of ganja
is enough when used as a lagium with other
drugs.
32. Karuppannan, Kali, Mathuraiviran, and
Malai Kavalan Swami are said to accept ganja
as offerings in the shape of lagiums.
33. (a) It is generally considered to be a vicious
practice.
(c) No.
39. Smoking is more injurious than eating
ganja in the shape of lagiums. In the preparation
of lagium other cooling substances are included,
and hence it is less injurious. On the other hand,
it is conducive to health. Smoking is more in-
jurious, because the smoke gets into and affects
the lungs, and makes the man thin and wiry.
40. Yes ; prescribed by native quacks. Yes ;
they are used in the treatment of cattle disease.
41. Yes; medicially when taken in lagiums.
43. Yes ; it would even make a brave man a
coward.
44. Excitement, intoxication followed by sleep,
commonly not refreshing, creates appetite, very
nearly six hours. After-effect is weakness. Gener-
ally ganja eaters take ganja just before their
meals.
45. No doubt it produces noxious effects. I
know of about 15 men who have become wiry,
day by day. In the long run they were subject-
ed to bronchitis, and their eyes became dark gra-
dually. The heat in them increases as well.
They were under my treatment until they re-
covered.
49. Yes.
51. Ganja eaters do not undertake to commit
any actionable wrongs, as far as I know.
53. The indulgence to any degree would not in
the least induce the consumer to commit any
crime. I do not know if this has ever led to
homicidal frenzy.
54. No.
55. I have not heard of any such case.
126. Evidence of H. RUNGAPPA, M edical Practitioner, Vishvam Baugh, Madras.
The present system of administration puts res-
triction only on the sale of the hemp drugs. The
result is their cheapness, which is one chief in-
ducement for their free use by the lower classes
mostly. The objections are the following :—(1)
although these drugs are used primarily as sti-
mulants, yet they have got the intoxicating effect
also. In these state of intoxication, the individu-
al is very prone to commit acts of homicidal vio-
lence. (2) Frequent use of these drugs leads to
the insanity of the person, though under proper
treatment he may recover to a certain extent for
the time being. It may not be out of place to
mention here that the admissions under this head-
ing into the luntic asylums are no more a criterion
of the baneful effects of these drugs upon the ner-
vous system than are the hospital returns of the
amount of sickness prevailing in this country. Al-
though the Government has very humanely estab-
lished three asylums within the easy reach of
the people of this presidency, yet the well-known
caste distinctions observed from time immemorial
are an effectual bar to keep out a large number of
lunatics from coming within the observation of
the lunatic asylum officials. Still a good propor-
tion of the admissions are due to the alleged
abuse of the hemp drugs. (3) Again, these drugs
are used as the means for committing robbery or
for violating the modesty of women. (4) By the
ignorant wives these drugs are credited with the
power of gaining or restoring the affection of
their husbands. This furnishes another source of
poisoning, though with the best of intention.
These are the main objections for placing the
v o l . v i .
drugs within the easy reach of such persons
as have not received medical training. If the
result of the inquiry by the Commission shows
that prohibitive measures are not feasible, restric-
tions at least may be placed on the cultivation,
manufacture, possession and transport of these
drugs.
2. I propose to take these four questions together
for two reasons—firstly, because the people who
use these drugs observe no particular difference
between ganja (or the flowering tops) and bhang
(or the leaves with the small stalks) ; in fact the
article sold in the licensed shops contains both
the leaves with the small stalks and the flowering
tops powdered together ; secondly, the large
number of preparations of the plant are made
from ganja, a few liquid preparations only being
made from the leaves alone. Moreover, it is the
mixture of ganja and bhang that is used for smok-
ing. I am not a aware of charas being much used
in this presidency. The solid preparations of ganja
are the following :—The well-known majum, a con-
fection made of ganja boiled in milk and mixed
with spices, ghee, and sugar. Purnath is a similar
preparation, but alleged to be less strong. Madath
also is a confection, but contains opium in addi-
tion. Lehyam meaning confection, sakkarai
meaning sugared preparation and halwa meaning
sweatment, are all synonyms for majum. Billai
denotes the same, having special reference to the
form in which the confection is sold. Sabji and
bhoja are the Hindustani synonyms. The liquid
preparation of bhang, or the leaves with the small
stalks, goes by the name of dudia, because dud,
2 z 2