159
constitution, nor injure digestion or cause loss of
appetite, nor produce dysentery or bronchitis or
asthma, nor impair moral sense or induce laziness
or immoral habits, much less debauchery, neither
it deadens the intellect or produces insanity.
46. Habitual excessive use of ganja will bring
all the miseries enumerated in the Question No. 45,
the unfortunate being a curse to his own exis
t -
ence, and there is strong presumption to believe
the fact that medicine loses its efficacy during any
serious illness of the consumer.
49. Yes, moderate use of ganja or bhang will
tend to produce aphrodisiacal effects. In rare cases
ganja is smoked by prostitutes. The excessive
use of bhang and ganja will tend to produce impo
-
tence.
50. The excessive use of ganja and bhang will
destroy all the aphrodisiacal desires. Yes, exces
-
sive use of ganja and bhang will bring on impo
- t e n c y .
51. Among bad characters, 40 to 50 per cent
might be taken as habitual moderate consumers,
and as the moderate use of ganja and bhang has
t h e p o w e r t o c o n c e n t r a t e t h e t h o u g h t , a c c o r d i n g
to our own mood ; and the explanation given in
Answer No. 41, will tend to prove the connection
between crime and the moderate use of ganja and
bhang.
52. The excessive use of ganja destroys all
activity, and the consumers have no opportunity
to do anything, good or bad.
53. No, the excessive use of ganja and bhang
incapacitates the consumers, and does not cause
homicidal frenzy.
54. Bhang and ganja will seldom be used by
criminals as a means to fortify their courage.
55. There are certain classes of criminals who
induce their victims to smoke ganja in order to
rob them. If the victim is a non-consumer, the
effect of an ordinary ganja chillum will completely
stupefy him, and he will be at the mercy of his
oppressor, but if the victim is a moderate or
excessive consumer of ganja, then 2½ seeds of
dhatura mixed in the chillum toil completely
stupefy him. Bhang is not generally resorted to
for this purpose, neither it stupefies completely
without admixture of dhatura seeds. Please see
Answer No. 39, regarding the effects of bhang.
56. The use of ganja and bhang, in addition to
other admixture, is described in my Answers to
Nos. 29 and 55. The admixture of dhatura for
personal consumption is to obtain more intoxica
-
tion ; while administered to others, it is chiefly
done for the purpose of stupefaction.
58. As far my opinion goes, I think the Govern
-
ment system of farming the ganja sale of whole-
sale and retail, though it increases the revenue
annually, has now come to its zenith, and the
time is not distant when the revenue will go
down.
Each year, at the time of selling the monopoly, a
new contractor comes to the front and retires
after his contract is completed, drawing a new
person after him. If the old contractor had any
profits, he would not have allowed the new man
to take up his business for the sake of few extra
rupees.
Properly speaking the Government actually
receive Rs. 6-0-7 on every seer of ganja sold to
the poor retail vendor in Seoni district, or Rs. 5-5-5
on every seer of ganja and its products sold all
over the Central Provinces during the year
1892-93 before it went in the hands of retail
vendors of the province.
68. There are no shops where the preparation
of bhang is consumed on the premises, and it is
my opinion that such houses should not be en
-
couraged.
69. Properly speaking people, even in large
towns, have no interest in the matter, and are quite
careless where you open a shop.
81. Evidence of BIJRAJ, Marwari, Wholesale ganja vendor, Kamptee,
Nagpur District.
1.
I have been wholesale ganja vendor for
many districts in the Central Provinces for the
last 15 years.
2. These definitions may be accepted for the
Central Provinces. The names given are locally
applicable. Bhang is also known as "thandai."
3. I don't know of any such districts.
5. I don't know about this.
6. No knowledge.
7. Cultivation of the hemp plant is permitted
in the Khandwa Tahsil of the Nimar district for
purposes (a ), and ( d ) seeds.
8. None to my knowledge ; only ordinary fluc
-
tuations.
9. No knowledge.
10. No; they are of same class as other agri
-
culturists.
1 1 a n d 1 2 , N o .
13. Yes. Nimar district. Because ganja has
been always grown there, and because the average
rainfall is very small, which is favourable for
such cultivation. Such cultivation would be im
-
possible in the rice districts, e.g., Chhatisgarh and
wherever there is much rainfall.
14. Only ( a ) ganja. In the Nimar district.
Upwards of 5,000 maunds yearly.
15. The cultivated plant is pressed under foot,
useless leaves fall off, and the remaining ganja is
then used for smoking. Local preparations are
not used for eating or drinking.
16. ( a ) to ( c) No.
17. The only preparation in these provinces is
ganja, as before stated. It is prepared by ordinary
agriculturists.
18. I don't know about charas. Ganja and
bhang quite lose their effect after 2 years. The
resinous properties dry up. No special measures
are possible to prevent deterioration.
19. Ganja is generally used for smoking, but
a preparation called majum is also made there
-
from, and eaten chiefly in the larger towns.
20. Labouring classes generally ; Hindu men
-
dicants of all sorts; Muhammadan fakirs ; a small
proportion of the agricultural class ; also a few of
the middle and upper classes. Charas is not used.
No particular locality.
21. Flat, such as is produced in Nimar.
22. None is used.
23. No.