30
40. The following are the virtues of hemp
drugs according to the Arabic Materia Me-
dica :—
They are aphrodisiac, cause internal swellings,
produce temporary sexual appetite ; also they are
nervine tonic.
The injuries done by them are :—
They weaken the brain, injure vision, and pro-
duce the following diseases :—melancholia, mad-
ness, dropsy, impotency. They make a man's
disposition sour. As these drugs have less virtues
than injuries, the hakims (native physicians sicians)
never use them. The vaidyas use it seldom.
Ganja and bhang are used in free treatment of
cattle diseases.
41. (a) The moderate use of charas, ganja and
bhang is not accessory or digestive. The con-
sumer in the beginning finds his appetite in-
creasing, but in the end he loses his appetite alto-
gether.
(b) They give staying power under severe exer-
tion or exposure as long as a man is intoxicated,
but when he comes to himself, he finds himself
very much fatigued.
(c) To the best of my knowledge it is neither
a febrifuge nor a preventive of malarious diseases.
(d) Some people use it to give them staying
power under severe exertion and exposure and
not to feel fatigued.
For these purposes, these drugs are used by
workmen and habitual criminals. At first they
use it moderately, but gradually these habits be-
come excessive.
42. The moderate use of any of these drugs is
in my opinion not harmless. After all, the mode-
rate habit always develops into excessive habit,
and so it does a great deal of harm in the end,
43. They are not so offensive as those who in-
dulge in these drugs excessively. They trouble
their neighbours somewhat by coughing a great
deal in the night and by their sour disposition.
44. The immediate effect of the moderate use
of ganja is to produce a temporary briskness in
the body. But after an hour the consumer feels
a sinking sensation. It is not refreshing. It
does produce intoxication. In the beginning,
until the consumer does not become addicted to
it, it creates appetite. But when the habit is
formed, it produces quite the contrary effect.
The effects produced by ganja last for about two
hours after smoking. The after-effect is a sicken-
ing sensation. Yes, the want of subsequent grati-
fication produces a longing and uneasiness to those
whose habit has been formed.
45. The habitual, moderate use of these drugs
produces noxious effect, physical, mental and
moral. It is injurious to lungs, vision, and pro-
duces an offensive smell in the body of the con-
sumer. It is useful in the early stages of dysen-
tery. It impairs the moral sense, induces laziness,
habits of immorality and debauchery. It deadens
the intellect and produces insanity : one intoxicat-
ed is always half mad. In the beginning the
insanity is temporary, but in the end it becomes
permanent. The symptoms can be reinduced by
use of the drugs after liberation from restraint.
46. The injuries the moderate use of these
drugs produces, are discussed in the answer to the
45th question. The excess augments the injuries.
47. In my opinion the habitual moderate use
of any of these drugs does not appear to be a
hereditary habit, and affects in no way the child-
ren of the consumer. But sometimes if the con-
sumer is subject to some disease, such as insanity,
etc., produced by the use of hemp drugs, it is
transmitted to posterity.
48. If the consumer is subject to any of the
diseases, such as asthma, dropsy, or insanity,
owing to the excess in consumption of any of
these drugs, his children inherit the diseases of the
parent.
49. These dru g s are practised as an aphrodisiac,
but the effect does not last long. In the end the
system becomes weak, which results in impotency.
The prostitutes do not use hemp drugs in these
provinces, hut in North-Western Provinces and
Oudh low class prostitutes smoke charas. Its use
as an aphrodisiac is more injurious than as an
ordinary narcotic.
50. The excessive use of any of these drugs as
an aphrodisiac is very injurious. It causes impo-
tency and many diseases of kidney and bladder.
51. The bad characters generally use these
drugs in order to prepare themselves for some deed
of violence, such as house-breaking, robbery and
dacoity.
52. An excessive consumer is too much intoxi-
- c a t e d t o d o a n y a c t o f v i o l e n c e . T h e i n d u l g e n c e
in these drugs weakens constitution, and thus
renders the consumer quite unfit for any deed of
violence. I have come across cases in which the
police have made a criminal confess his crime by
making him smoke ganja excessively.
53. Yes, the excessive indulgence in these drugs,
especially in ganja, incites to unpremeditated
violent crimes, such as homicide, grievous hurt and
suicide. I learn two cases of this nature took
place in Khairagarh which amounted to homi-
- c i d e : —
(1) One Khushal went to a " marrar " shop
where he smoked ganja excessively, then
drawing his sword killed the " marrar."
(2) One Hira Singh smoked ganja excessively
and killed Hera, a blacksmith.
54. Yes, they do. Sometimes the wrestlers
take bhang before wrestling.
55. Yes, the criminals, in order to further their
designs, induce their victims to partake of these
drugs, specially ganja. As a magistrate a case
was brought before me, in which a man was robbed
when subject to stupefaction produced by ganja.
Generally, criminals add dhatura and thoar leaves
to enhance intoxication. Only ganja smoking is
enough to stupefy those who never smoke it.
Bhang does not produce so much effect, it only
causes giddiness.
56. By adding cloves and jaiphal to the hemp
drugs the effect is enhanced but not so much as by
an addition of the dhatura leaf. This ingredient
is often used by mendicants and habitual criminals
in order to stupefy their victims.
57, I do not know much about charas, but
ganja, which is here sometimes substituted for
bhang, is eaten occasionally as stated in the answer
to No. 19. Eating produces less and slow intoxi-
- c a t i o n t h a n s m o k i n g .
58. The present excise administration of the
Central Provinces is going on well, but there is
still some room for improvement, which will be
dealt with further on.