155
51. It is the case that budmashes and habitual
criminals do smoke ganja to give them increased
courage and indurance for commission of crime,
and escape afterwards. They smoke ganja for the
same reasons in fact that the hard working labour
-
ers do—to enable them to bear fatigue and expo
-
sure in their calling. The moderate smoking
of ganja has no tendency to increase crime.
52. Excessive indulgence in ganja would induce
a craving, which might tempt a man to steal to
gain the means to satisfy his craving.
Excessive indulgence in ganja does dispose to
violence. Only lately my brother's son-in-law
under the influence of ganja nearly killed his wife.
Gorilal Mull Giladchi is a man of violent temper
while under the influence of ganja. Phulsa Aodhia
of Bhawanganj became violent from effects of ex
-
cessive ganja, till he went quite mad and died.
For the last two years a man has been wandering
about who is violent at times and often quite off
his head from the effects of excessive ganja; he
has become quite "pagal" now. The Govern
-
ment should take charge of him to prevent his
doing violence to others. Another man, a bania
rom Chauras in this district, is also beginning to
be violent and to run at people—the effects of ex
-
cessive indulgence in ganja. I have heard of four
or five persons dying mad from the effects of ex
-
cessive indulgence in ganja, e.g., Ahmad Khan,
my own eldest brother, some twenty years ago;
Sher Mahomed of Seoni, about ten years ago, of
a respectable Malguzar's family. I cannot recall
others.
54. Only habitual ganja smokers could smoke
ganja to fortify them before commencing crime;
it would disable men not accustomed to smoke
ganja. Vide answer to Question 51.
55. I have not heard of criminals administering
ganja designedly to their victims to stupefy them.
If a person unaccustomed to smoke ganja were in
-
duced to take even one good whiff his head would
swim, and he would immediately become insensible.
The effect would pass off in about an hour.
56. Moderate consumers of ganja do not mix
anything but tobacco with their ganja. It is only
excessive consumers who desire to enhance the in
-
toxicating effect, who add dhatura (2½ seeds is the
proportion to a pipe) or opium. See my answer
to Question 29. Consumers afflicted with the asth
-
ma, which results from indulgence in ganja, use
the above admixture of dhatura to alleviate their
cough. Persons, unaccustomed to ganja, could not
smoke this mixture to relieve ordinary asthma.
Similarly, ordinary dysentery patients could not
smoke the mixture of opium with ganja—only
habitual excessive smokers of ganja suffering from
the dysentery thereby caused by the admixture
of ganja. But the dysentery caused by excessive
indulgence in ganja is a fatal malady; the dis
-
charge of blood is so great that the victim soon
dies. This was the case with my brother afore
-
said (Answer to No. 53).
57. I know two people who eat ganja. One is
Akbar Khan of the Diwan Sahib's family. He
is reduced to beggary, and when he cannot get
money enough to buy his quantum of opium, he
begs or buys a little ganja to mix with his short
supply of opium. This man is reduced to a skele
-
ton, though he is only 25 years of age. Somewhat
similar is the case of Mussammat Rah mat, a Mu
-
salman Bhat. She smokes ganja with her madak.
She also is reduced to a skeleton, and can scarcely
walk.
58. I have no recommendation to make. The
present restrictions on cultivation and sale of
ganja are useful, because they necessitate moder
-
ation by enhancing the price of the drug.
59. The drug could stand further enhancement
of price. Government might raise the wholesale
price from Rs. 3 to 4 a seer. The result would be
to raise the retail price from Rs. 10 to 12 a seer.
This enhancement would not be too severe, and
would be beneficial, so far as it goes, in curtailment
to consumption.
60. The ganja is not sufficiently cleaned in
the Khandwa store. Government should enforce
better and stricter selection of the ganja flower,
and rejection of leaf and stalk. If the wholesale
price were raised to Rs. 4, as I recommend, Gov
-
ernment could well afford this. The coarse leaves
and stick should be burnt, but the pure leaves
would find ready sale as bhang at Re, 1 per seer
—
wholesale price.
68. There was no general habit of smoking
ganja on premises of the ganja vendor. The pro
-
hibition against consumption on vendor's premises
was superfluous in the case of ganja. The prohi
-
bition, however, is good in principle.
69. There is no feeling against location of the
ganja shop or stall in a public place. The majority
smoke ganja, and there never has been consump
-
tion on the vendor's premises, and there is no
gathering of bad characters about the ganja shop.
There are orders to entertain objections, if pre
-
ferred, but I never heard objections made. In
native opinion there is no ground for objection.
On the contrary, the more central the ganja shop,
the greater is the public convenience.
70. There is no general use of untaxed ganja
in this district. The Native States are too far off
for successful smuggling. No one imports foreign
bhang. It is not available for sale in this district,
nor is there any demand for it.
80. Evidence of COWASJEE MEHERWANJEE HATTY-DAROO, Parsi, Merchant and
Abkari Contractor, Seoni-Chapara.
1. Since my taking the contract of country
liquors in this district, for the sake of inform
-
ation and curiosity, I have collected amongst other
subjects that of ganja and bhang, and on receipt
of your enquiry, more information was gathered.
2. It is a fact that the three narcotic articles
obtained from hemp plant, but the bhang and
ganja plants are different from each other, and
are grown from different seeds. The ganja seeds
are much larger than the bhang seeds. Bhang
seeds are very valuable as food for singing birds,
as canaries, etc., whereas ganja seeds are never
used for the purpose.
The liquid preparation of dry bhang leaves is
called subji as well as bhang ; also from the bhang
leaves majum is prepared.
Flat ganja is generally called. " kali," round
"bhutai," and the fallen off leaves, chur.
Vol. vi.
z 2