336
the former is lesser in quantity than the latter.
The excess of bhang after all is not so injurious as
that of ganja and charas.
47. The habit of consuming these drugs is not
hereditary. It is easily acquired by associating
with the consumers. So much effect daily is
noticed in the case of newly-born infants of the
consumers of ganja and charas, that they are often
troubled with boils and pimples till they become
four or five years of old.
48. See answer 46.
49. Bhang intensifies with impunity the plea-
sure of every thing that is done in its intoxication
It is the most safe intoxication. Reverse is the
case with ganja and charas The use of these
thins the semen, produces impotency, and renders
the system liable to be affected by the inclemency
of the weather. The shops of ganja and charas are
often kept by low class prostitutes, called saquins,
and they obtain license to keep these shops from
Government authorities. Females of low classes
only use ganja and charas and sometimes bhang
50. Bhang is consumed more in quantity than
ganja and charas, while the price of the quantity
consumed is about a third of that of ganja and
charas. For instance, in a district if bhang is
consumed 600 maunds, the price which is Rs. 1,500,
ganja 100 maunds, the price Rs. 3,200, charas 10
maunds, the price Rs. 4,000. It will be seen that
if one substance is used more in quantity the others
are more in value. This is the rate of increase for
the present.
But now since the abolition of
chandu and madak, more increase in the consump-
tion of these drugs is expected.
51. Mostly men of bad character use ganja and
charas. In fairs and shows the shops of saquins,
if ten persons be found smoking these, eight of
them at least would be men of bad character of
low castes. At the shops where bhang is prepared
and sold in solid or liquid form there, out of ten
men, who go to take it, eight would be of good
moral conduct. These things can be taken with
impunity up to the quantity allowed by law, and
no wonder if at such places offences are committed
by the consumers, as well as by the license holders,
against the terms of their license. On the whole
there is always an apprehension of a quarrel of
some sort or the other at the shops of ganja and
charas.
52. See answers Nos. 46 and 50.
53. In a state of intoxication no wonder if
men commit offences on provocation, such as cut-
ting off the nose or wounding with knife.
54. The intoxication of ganja and charas does
not fortify one to commit any premeditated act,
but he does whatever comes in his head at the
moment to do. The intoxication of liquor is of
course courageous. Ganja and charas dull the
activity, what to say of courage. One forgets
to say what he is about to say.
55. If a person who does not use these drugs
uses them perchance, or is made to use them some-
how, gets intoxicated very soon and remains sense-
less for a longer duration than one who is habitual
to their use.
56. Ganja and charas of themselves are intoxi-
cating drugs whose effect is felt, instantaneously.
They in ray opinion do not necessitate being adul-
terated with dhatura (stramonium seeds), which
is itself a poison. I have heard fakirs, those who
worship Shiva, make an offering of dhatura and
use some seeds of it themselves to propitiate the
god. Formerly the robbers in the guise of fakirs
and wayfarers used to administer dhatura and to
offer it to travellers, and when they become sense-
less robbed them of their property. But such
cases are no more heard of now.
57. Ganja and charas are smoked in a chillum.
Bhang alone is both eaten and drunk as a liquid.
58. The arrangements of Government for the
sale of these drugs, which obtain at present, are
excellent. Every year the Government fortu-
nately gets a well-to-do man to become the highest
bidder at the auction sale of the contract of these
drugs, which in the chief cause of increase in the
income under this head to Government.
59. If the Government wishes to make any
other arrangement such that there may be no loss
to the income and some check be put in the use
of these drugs, I have to suggest the following
course :—
(1). In order to check the use of ganja and charas,
the easy way would be to increase the tax
on the cultivators and importers of these
substances, just as is done in Bengal in the
case of ganja baluchar. Because when the
price would be high the consumption would
be less and the income of Government will
not suffer.
(2). At present the contract for the whole district
is auctioned at sadar ; if the contract be
made for each tahsil or each pargana and
the auction takes place for each tahsil at
the head-quarters of tahsil, then the com-
petition would rise and fetch a higher price.
60. Ganja is not made in the province of Oudh.
When it was made here it was well watched.
Now the plant is not cultivated ; and the unculti-
vated plants of ganja and bhang that grow in
this province, the only thing that can be said
about them is that if any person was seen by the
police in possession of a greater quantity than is
allowed by law, he was brought to court for trial
and adequate punishment inflicted according to his
position. Often with the permission of the dis-
trict authorities the contractor uses to get this
cut. But there is no tax imposed by Government
in this province on these substances obtained from
uncultivated plants.
61. Charas is neither made in our province nor
its plant grows here.
62. The plant of bhang is not cultivated, it
grows spontaneously, for miles its jungles are seen
and therefore to look after it. is impossible. When
it is cut and cultivated so much is done that it is
carried out from one district to another under a
passport.
63. The system which now exists is very good
and no complaint or objection exists without it. I
have already said what I bad to say with regard
to the increase of Government revenue under this
head, which requires perusal.
64. With regard to the import of ganja and
charas, what is suggested in Rule 98 of the rules
recently published on ganja and charas is very
good and requires no amendment The Kabulis
who bring charas from Kabul often play tricks
with the pass that they get for it. The pass is
given to them for a long time and the trick which
they play is this that their packet of charas out-
wardly appears to be one, but in reality it contains
four packets of leather which they sell to the petty
dealers. It is necessary, therefore, that at the
time of giving their pass, their bundles or packets
should be carefully examined. Care should be
taken with regard to the period for which pass is
issued to them and the bundles which, though
looking as one in reality contains four within.