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people who are given to indulgence in these dele-
terious drugs. But in any case it is most difficult
for Government officials, who are suspected with
some ulterior object, to draw out a full and a frank
information on such a question. A desire to please
the hakim or the fear of loss to themselves will bo
a serious hindrance to get at the truth. This, I
think, should be borne in mind by the Commission
in drawing up the result of their enquiry.
III.—It appears to me a superfluous labour to
make an enquiry whether the use of hemp drugs
are or are not deleterious in their effects upon those
who indulge in them.
That they are so is a fact well known throughout
the world. Even the Khedive of Egypt (a Turk) is
so sensible of the evil effects of such drug prepara-
tions that he forbids his people to have any dealings
with it, as can be seen from the following " Decree "
of May 28th, 1891 :—
" We, Khedive of Egypt with reference to our
Decree of the 10th March, 1884, on the motion of
our Minister of Finance, and with the assent of our
Council of Ministers," decree—
"Article I.—Article I of the above* decree is
modified as follows:
"The cultivation of haschisch is forbidden in all
the territory of Egypt, and will be punished by a
fine of £E. 50 per feddan or fraction of feddan.
"In the case of a second offence, the fine will be
increased to £E. 100.
"The importation, sale, and mere possession of
haschisch are also forbidden, and will be punished
by a fine at a rate of £E. 10 per kilogramme; but
this fine will never be less than £E. 2, however
much the quantity may be below a kilogramme.
"The same penalty will apply to an attempt at
importation.
"In case of a second offence, the fine will be in-
creased to £E. 30 per kilogramme, though it shall
not be less than £E. 6 if the quantity is less than
a kilogramme.
"The plants will be destroyed and the haschisch
confiscated.
"Article 2.—The other articles in our decree of
the 10th March 1884 are maintained.
"Article 3.— Our Ministers of the Interior and
of Finance are charged, each as regards that which
concerns him, with the execution of this decree.
"Done at the palace of Ras-el-Tin, the 30th
Chawal, 1308 (28th May 1891).
(Sd.) MEHEMET TEWFIK.
"By order of the Khedive.
"MOUSTAPHA FEHMY.
"President of the Council of Ministers and
Minister of the Interior.
"ABDER RAHMAN ROUCHDY,
Minister of Finance."
But we need not go from home to find evidence
of the destructive effects of hemp drags. From
reference to Government reports we find that in-
dulgence in ganja is attributed to the following
cases or insanity in the lunatic asylums of Lower
Bengal for the following years:—
18S2 . . .
1883 . .
1884 . .
1885 . .
1886 . .
Cases
. 66
. 66
. 76
. 62
. 57
1887 . .
1888 . .
1889 . .
1890 . .
1891 . .
Cases.
. 56
. 54
. 59
. 66
. 56
It should not be forgotton that this is but a frac-
tion of the whole, for natives are most reluctant to
allow their friends to enter a lunatic asylum. I
have myself have seen idiots wandering about in
large towns in the North-West, especially in Patna,
who had become so by indulgence in charas and
ganja. And surely when the Surgeon-Generals of
the Government testify to the evil effects of ganja,
we need no stronger proof.
In 1880 Dr. Payne writes: "The prominent
part which ganja-smoking plays in peopling Ben-
gal asylums needs no more than mention."
Dr. Cowie in 1884 writes that ganja is the chief
cause of acute mania in this country.
In 1887 Dr. Hilson reports: "The figures point
conclusively to indulgence in some preparation of
India hemp as the most potent factor in the pro-
duction of mental disease in Bengal as it is in other
parts of India."
It is calculated that 53 per cent. of the lunatic
cases in the asylum of Lower Bengal is caused by
ganja; but, as I said before, this is but a small
proportion of such sad cases throughout the land.
Surely such a pernicious article should not be culti-
vated and licensed by Government for revenue pur-
poses; and when we find that no less than 6,000
maunds of this most destructive article is consumed
in Lower Bengal alone, we may fancy the fearful
amount of mischief it must be doing to the people.
The indulgence in opium is bad enough, but not
half as injurious as that of ganja, and about four
times more ganja is consumed in Bengal than
opium.
IV.—This injurious traffic is on the increase, as
one could expect, after it once gets a hold upon the
crave of the people.
In the North-West and the Punjab chains and
bhang are more in demand than ganja, which is
used chiefly by fakirs and sadhus or devotees.
The total revenue receipts in the Punjab for hemp
drugs for 1887-88 was Rs. 1,47,565 while in
1892-93 it was as high as Rs. 1,70,854, and it is
said that during 1892-93 no less than 5,000 maunds
of charas was imported into the Punjab from Yar-
kand, which was about double the amount imported
two years ago.
This is an extraordinary rise, and though the in-
crease in other parts of India are much less, still it
is going up more or less all over.
Now the question comes in the face of these facts:
—Is it right—yea, is it even politic on the part of
Government to foster an increasing traffic in an
article the effect of which is so deleterious to those
who use it? I think not, and that is the decided
opinion of others who have no fiscal interest in such
injurious traffic.
V.—Now comes the crucial question, what should
be done?
That the use (or rather abuse) of these hemp drugs
can be entirely suppressed, even by law, is very
doubtful, for now that the people have a crave for
them, and as the hemp plant grows wild, it seems
to me that the Government cannot do away with
the evil entirely.
I would therefore humbly propose that the
Government should do all it possibly can do to
modify the evil, as far as that can be done.
What I and others charge the Government with
is the sad fact that by the cultivation of hemp
drugs in Lower Bengal under Government sanction
and control, and by the incentives given by the
State to increase the production and the sales for
revenue purposes, the Government itself becomes the
producer and the monopolised merchant of the vile
* The one that precedes this.—T. E.