326
43. Yes.
44. He feels slightly intoxicated or exhilarated
in spirits and refreshed also. He finds his appetite
for food increased. The effects last two hours at
the most. No after-effects of any evil description
are observed in habitual moderate ganja smoker,
who of course feels uneasy for the want of the drug
at his next usual time, though he can, with some
difficulty, forego the consumption to a length of
time,
45. Of habitual moderate ganja-smokers and
habitual moderate bhang-drinkers.
(a) No.
(b) No.
(c)
N o .
(
d
) A kind of hoarse cough is found in ganja
- s m o k e r s .
(
e
) It does not impair the moral sense, but pro
- d u c e s l a z i n e s s .
(f) Occasional excessive consumers—
Deadens the intellect, and also fits of insanity are
common. It somewhat resembes delirium tremens.
It is temporary. Yes, the symptoms may be re
- i n d u c e d b y t h e u s e o f t h e d r u g .
(g) Yes, considered. Never insanity, in my
humble opinion, tends to indulgence in the use of
the drugs.
46. Seldom are found instances of insanity in
the habitual excessive consumers, whether of ganja
-smoking or bhang-drinking ; for they are habituat
- e d t o t h e e x c e s s i v e q u a n t i t y w h i c h , o f c o u r s e , i s
their daily dose. With these men there is great
impossibility to forego the consumption. They are
a lazy set of vagabonds, living at the expense of
the public. They pose themselves as pilgrims
spending their life in mukkams and muttums.
They are found drowsy while sitting or walking
under the influence of ganja-smoking. They are
easily excitable.
47. No hereditary habit can he found. The
children are not affected by the parents of moder
- a t e h a b i t s i n t h e u s e o f t h e d r u g .
48. It cannot be said that the children of the
habitual excessive consumers will be taken to this
hereditarily, but there seems every reason to say
that their children will be constitutionally weak
and excitable, having nervous temperament.
49. Yes, bhang-drinking, ganja-smoking or the
special preparations of the drug are first used as
aphrodisiac by young men in moderate quantities.
I have not found instances of prostitutes using the
drug for the purpose. The continued use, even if
moderate, will bring on impotence in the end.
50. Excessive use never acts as an aphrodisiac.
51. No, moderate consumers are never connected
with crime.
52. The excessive consumers (ganja-smokers and
bhang-drinkers) also never commit crime ; they are
observed violent at times.
53. Not in general.
54. Never, as far as I know.
55. Never have I found such cases. However,
I read instances of the kind as having occurred in
Mysore territory. Yes, complete stupefaction can
be induced by the drug.
56. (a) The effects, if moderately used, are at
the first time in a newly practising man peculiar
visions, he complains that he is taken to some
height in the skies and made to fall therefrom ; he
will find many lights in one. If he begins to
laugh he will be continuously laughing for a time.
If he begins to do a thing he will be at it longer
than usual, eat, drink or pass water for a longer
time. Habitual moderate consumer on his usual
dose feels refreshed and exhilarated, talks and sings,
and feels healthy and happy. Eats his food with
an increased appetite, and goes to sound sleep.
(b) If excessive, he is found at times violent or
stupefied. If used in admixture with dhatura,
he is violent, with tendency to commit crime. I
know a case where the man was led to temporary
homicidal frenzy.
57. Most of the ganja-smokers of moderate
quantities are moral, god-fearing, affected in
general with theomania, always far from being
bad characters. I know also instances where men
were found addicted to ganja-smoking or bhang
-drinking being unable to procure alcoholic liquors
on account of poverty. Some used the drug on the
prescription. of native medical physicians for
gastrodinya and cancer of stomach.
58 to 61 and 63 to 70. I don't know.
Oral evidence.
1.—I am a Hospital Assistant. I got my cer
-tificate from the Madras College in 1879, and since
then I have been working in the Northern Circars.
I have had no experience in lunacy.
29 .—1 know a case of a man smoking dhatura
with ganja. He was a sepoy for some time. He
then became a peon in the Collector's Office. I
never saw him take dhatura. He was under me
for a time, and I know for a fact that he used
ganja, My friends told me that he took dhatura.
He once committed homicide under the influence
of dhatura, and was convicted and punished for it.
I do not personally know any other case of the
mixture of dhatura with hemp. I don't know
what part of the dhatura plant he used.
45.—I have here described the effects of occa
-sional excessive use of the hemp drug. Habitual
ganja smoking even to excess does not ordinarily
lead to insanity. I have learnt this from other
people, and my opinions are not based on personal
observation. I have however seen both habitual
excessive consumers as well as habitual moderate
consumers, but I have not known any of them
to go mad. The persons who go mad are those
who are not yet habituated to the drug. In fram
-ing the opinion I had the example of tobacco in my
mind, the occasional excessive consumers of which
suffer a good deal, while habitual consumers do not.
48.—What I have written here is what I should
guess to be the fact. It is not founded on observa
-tion.