470
58. Evidence of AMIR HAIDERSHAH,
Bhang is not cultivated in the Rawalpindi
district. It grows here spontaneously; and
neither charas nor ganja can be prepared from it.
It is generally used by fakirs, sadhus, and sants
who live in takias or thakur-dowaras. Other
people also use it, but its use is not beneficial. It
has often been observed that those who consume
charas become greatly emaciated, live in takias
and temples, become lazy, alwaya remain in a
state of intoxication, and are finally reduced to
such straits as to beg from door to door.
Charas is not prepared in this district. It
is imported from Kashmir, Ladakh, Yarkand, etc.,
and sold here and in other towns. It is only
Honorary Magistrate, Rawalpindi.
smoked and not eaten or drunk. No sooner is it
smoked than the consumer becomes intoxicated.
It is generally used by sadhus, fakirs, jogis, san-
yasis and Afghans. The brain is greatly injured
by its use. Charas produces much aridity and
consequently causes insanity. The consumer be-
comes lean on account of the blood being dried up,
and he generally becomes lazy and lives in takias,
etc. Charas is a most injurious thing, and its
use is increasing every day. The imposition of a
reasonable duty upon the imported charas would
prevent the daily increase of its use.
Ganja is neither prepared nor used in this
district.
59. Evidence of SARDAR SOOJAN SINGH, RAI BAHADUR, Honorary Magistrate,
Rawalpindi.
The use of hemp drug (charas) is generally
most injurious. It produces insanity, and ganja
smokers become weak and emaciated and even in
some cases impotent and unfit for any work.
Its use should most certainly be prohibited.
As regards madak and chandu (made up of
opium mixed with burnt straw or bhusa), although
they have no contract for them from Government,
several persons prepare these drugs secretly in
their own houses and use them. Their use is
even more injurious than that of charas, and
special arrangements should be made to put a stop
to their use either publicly or privately.
Oral evidence.
I am a large contractor in Rawalpindi. I take
contracts of all kinds in connection mainly with
the Commissariat. I have also held the Rawal-
pindi district drug contract.
I have never seen ganja, but the word ganja is
sometimes applied to charas.
In my opinion charas should be prohibited. Its
effects are bad. Insanity even is produced by the
excessive use. I have also seen smokers who
seemed to me the worse for it, and some smokers
have told me that it has affected them injuriously.
I have seen one or two men violent for periods
varying from three to ten days and tied up. I
have been informed that they were consumers,
and they were notorious as such. So often as
they used the drug to excess they became like this.
I have heard that this is not an uncommon result,
though I have only seen one or two cases. I
am 52 years of age.
I think that there is injury from the moderate
use as well as the excessive, because they smoke
in company, and they go on smoking till there is
excess. Charas does no good to anybody, and it
is only injurious. The one or two men I have
mentioned above were men who took the drug
twice, or four times, or ten times, as often as they
could get it
Kahars take charas. Those who take it go to
the bad. They are not many. The Purbias
among them take it. They take tobacco regularly,
but charas only occasionally. It is when they go
on to excess that they go to the bad. Some only
take in moderation and it does them no harm.
Those who mainly suffer from it are the fakirs
and a few others. The Hindus take it less than
the Muhammadans. The city people have the
habit more than the country people. And the
association of city men in this leads to other evils,
such as theft and the like. They sometimes get
people with money among them and give them
charas, sometimes mixing dhatura, until they are
insensible, and then rob them. I do not remem-
ber any case, but I have heard of two or three
instances, and believe this is done. These people
do not take dhatura themselves, for it is a danger-
ous drug. He who takes much of it dies. I
have not heard of any one taking dhatura volun-
tarily for the sake of greater intoxication.
As to bhang, it is not so injurious as charas.
It makes men timid if taken to excess. Beyond
this there is no harm from it. And indeed it aids
digestion when people eat too much. And, when
taken in company, it produces happiness and
laughter.
Liquor is more expensive than bhang, and also
more injurious. The habitual drinker of liquor
will die. I think that it should be prohibited as
well as charas. For neither would I recommend
immediate prohibition. My idea would be to put
on such a tax, and gradually increase it so, that
the common use of these intoxicants might be
gradually reduced. My idea is so to raise the
price that the majority of people may find it im-
possible to buy them at all.
I have never sent to Yarkand for charas. But
I have bought it from importers. They are either
Yarkandis or people of our country. In the
latter case, they are traders who have taken goods
to Yarkand and bring back charas. I have never
heard of charas being made in Kashmir. There is
a kind of charas or garda made in this country.
I do not know in what places. This is because
people cannot afford to buy Yarkaudi charas, and
so they make this from the wild bhang. I do
not know how it is made.
If a tax were put on, it should not be levied
until the stuff is sold to the contractor. It can-
not be sold to any one else than a contractor.
Government could take the charas into its own
hands, or it might administer it through a con-
tractor.
Charas is cheap at present, and there is room