223
leaves of spiritual knowledge. Hemp plant is not
an object of worship.
34. It would be a serious privation to forego
the use of ganja smoking to fakirs, ascetics, and
other habitual excessive consumers who have be-
come complete slaves to the habit. For when they
cease to smoke ganja, they become awfully restless,
and suffer from pulling sensation in the body, life
itself becoming a burden.
35. It is not feasible to prohibit the use of this
drug. If prohibited, an illicit use will be made of
it. The prohibition can be enforced by a special
enactment ; but such a course is most inadvisable,
as a serious discontent will be felt upon it by con-
sumers and. cultivators of this plant. Such discon-
tent may lead to political danger, as it will be very
seriously felt by the numberless bairagis and other
religious ascetics when they are deprived of their
only luxury in this world. They may probably
grow desperate, and may even be backed up by
many bad characters given up to the same habit.
( a )
N o .
(b) Yes; to muddat, a drug more pernicious
than ganja.
36. No. Alcohol is not being substituted for
this drug.
37. Not known here.
38. Flat or round ganja, which contains less
seeds, is said to give more intoxication than broken
ganja.
39. Smoking ganja is less injurious than eat-
ing and drinking, because smoking does not pro-
duce the same amount of intoxication as eating
and drinking.
40. Native doctors prescribe this drug in some
cases to improve digestion ; but it will be discon-
tinued soon after the desired effect is produced.
It is generally prescribed with other ingredients.
It is first well purified and then mixed up with
medicines, and prescribed for diarrhœa and other
bowel complaints. It is not known whether this
drug is ever used for cattle disease.
41. Moderate occasional use of ganja and bhang
in a well purified, mild form in eating and drink-
ing is beneficial in its effects.
(a) Yes.
(b) Yes.
( c )
Y e s .
( d )
Y e s , a s a m e d i c i n e .
No particular class of people use this drug. It
is the moderate occasional use of the drug I refer
to.
42. I do not consider even moderate use of
these drugs to be harmless if the use is habitual,
for the habit itself is not an approved one, and may
bring on excess or impair the constitution in the
long run.
43. Yes.
44. The moderate use of this drug on the ha-
bitual consumer in eating and drinking is refresh-
ing. It does not produce intoxication, nor does it
allay hunger. It creates appetite. The effect will
last for three hours. The after-effects are exhaus-
tion, giddiness, nauseous taste in the stomach and
throat. It also produces uneasiness and longing.
45. The habitual moderate use of this drug in
eating and drinking produces noxious effects physi-
cally to a certain extent, and morally to a very
limited extent. Smoking does harm to mental
powers also to a certain extent. Habitual moder-
ate use of this drug is apt to impair constitution
and injures digestion ultimately. It does not cause
dysentery, but will in some cases cause bronchitis or
asthma. It does to some extent impair the moral
sense and induces laziness or habits of immorality
or debauchery. It deadens intellect, but does not
produce insanity.
46. Excessive habitual use of this drug is inju-
rious to mental, moral and physical powers. It
impairs constitution, injures digestion. Smoking
brings on diseases. Eating and drinking impairs
moral sense and induces laziness or habits of im-
morality or debauchery and impairs the intellect.
Eating and drinking produce temporary insanity
in some cases, the symptoms of which may be
reinduced by the use of the drug after libera-
tion from restraint. The typical symptoms are
cowardice and whirling sensation in the head,
which will create a desire to be whirling round
and round. The insane will confess to the use
of the drug. In my opinion the use of the
dr ug. by per sons suf f er i ng f r om ment al nxi
brain disease explains a connection between insani-
ty and the use of hemp drug. There is evidence
to show that insanity may often create a strong
desire to the excessive use of the drug. A Brah-
min of 30 years to my knowledge was indulging
in eating majum to an excess. He became insane,
and never walked straight without turning hims
e l f r o u n d a n d r o u n d l i k e a w h e e l a s h e w e n t f r o m
street to street, and felt that he was going round
and round even when stopped ; but his inclination
for majum ball unfortunately became stronger dur-
ing his insanity. There was also another case
in which a man suffering from mental anxiety be-
came insane by an excessive use of the drug.
47. No.
48. No.
49. The moderate use of the drug in eating and
drinking will be practised as an aphrodisiac. It
is rarely used by prostitutes. It is more injurious
in this respect rather than its use as an ordinary
narcotic, because it will gradually impair virile
powers by debauchery and ultimately tends to pro-
duce impotence.
50. Excessive use of this drug will more speedily
produce worse effects.
51. A large proportion of bad characters are
not habitual moderate consumers of these drugs.
Some of the bad characters who are habitual moder-
ate consumers are by want occasionally driven
to commit thefts of petty articles within their reach
in order to gratify their desire. This seems to be
the only way in which the habitual and moderate
use has any connection with crime of the said charac-
ter.
52. With regard to the excessive use of any of
these drugs it may be said that excessive use blunts
the sense of honour or fear of society, and renders
man physically less useful for any steady hard
work. They are inclined to be idle and generally
take to gambling. These people are, however, to
be found in large towns and cusbas, where they go
on pilfering, as opportunities occur, on a much larger
scale than the habitual moderate consumers of
any of these drugs ; but they seldom resort to grave
crimes.
53. No.
54. No ; I have neither known nor heard of such
instances.
55. No ; complete stupefaction can, as a rule,
be induced by this drug without any admixture.
56. (a) The effects of hemp used in moderation
and modified by the admixture of other substances,
such as spices and native medicines, are harmless.