391
not the sowing of it. I saw a good crop only
a few days ago. I put in a note on cultivation by
my Excise Assistant, Mr. Kirthee Singh:—
"In the Shahpur district ganja is totally un-
known, and charas, except in asolated cases for
private consumption, is not extracted. The plant
is raised merely for use as bhang.
"After selecting the land for hemp cultivation,
the preparation of the soil begins in August and
September. The laud chosen is usually close to
the town or village, and the soil preferred is called
niain (or laud manured with ordure, night-
soil).
"The land is then ploughed four or five times:
the oftener the better, and if other soil than niain
it is manured.
* This apparently in-
cludes the cost of man-
uring.
J. W.
"The seed is sown broadcast in September, six
seers of seed per bigah at a
cost of about eight rupees.*
The land is then watered,
and in about three weeks
the young plants are from 6 to 12 inches high.
"The crop is ready for gathering in March and
April. During the period October to March, the
land has to be watered four or five times, and it
has also to be hoed now and then and kept clear
of weeds.
"No distinction is made between male and fe-
male plants as is the case in cultivation for ganja;
but, when ripe, the male and female plants are cut
down together and then laid out to dry in the
sun. After being thoroughly dried the stems are
shaken, and the leaves, flowers and small twigs
which fall off are collected and stored. What is
required for private use is kept, the remainder is
sold to the nearest licensee.
"Sometimes a cultivator may want a little
charas for private use, in which case he beats the
flowering twigs over a piece of cloth laid on the
ground, and then collects the greyish white
powder which falls. This requires only to be
dried a little in the sun and it is ready for use.
"The average outturn is from eight to ten
maunds of bhang per bigah, and the price realized
varies from two to four rupees a maund."
Question 20.—As far as I could find out, charas
is smoked only by religious devotees. At all
events, consumers from other classes must be
quite insignificant. There appears to be no differ-
ence in feeling between Hindus and Musalmaus
on the subject. The consumption by fakirs of
both religious appears to be pretty equal.
Question 35.—My idea of the policy of Govern-
ment regarding all intoxicants is that Government
should certainly do nothing to encourage the ex-
tension of consumption; that it should be careful
not to drive the people from the use of one intoxi-
cant to another which is worse. As an instance,
I think it would be very much worse if Govern-
ment were to drive the people from the consump-
tion of opium to alcohol, which, in this country at
all events, is more harmful. As regards charas,
in the Shahpur district at all events, the effects of
its consumption are almost entirely injurious, and
there seems no danger of prohibition of the con-
sumption driving the people to the use of a more
deleterious drug. There is no more harmful drug
which even the fakirs are likely to take to. I
know nothing of the use of dhatura, except its
administration as a poison. In regard to the policy
of Government, there is another point of import-
ance, viz., that we should have the feeling of the
people with us. There is no objection to Govern-
ment raising taxation from a drug which is to be
restricted. Taxation has both advantages, viz.,
as an unobjectionable means of raising revenue,
and also as a method of restriction. Taxation
should be raised to the full extent possible, con-
sistently with not making the evil of smuggling
greater than the evil of consumption. In esti-
mating the evil of smuggling, the general feeling
of the respectable portion of the people is an im-
portant factor. Taxation must not, of course, be
raised to 6uch a pitch as to drive the people to a
worse habit.
As far as I can judge, the entire prohibition of
charas, if introduced gradually, would not have
any of the bad effects noted above. If introduced
suddenly, it would probably drive a large number
of the excessive consumers of charas to some other
kind of excess, such as excessive opiam eating or
liquor drinking. Besides, I think sudden prohibi-
tion would be cruel. 1 should therefore begin by
taxation and gradually raise it, leaving the ques-
tion of total prohibition to be decided by ex-
perience.
I have seen a considerable number of charas-
smoking fakirs and a few of other classes also
who are well known as excessive consumers. I
have collected them along with respectable people
in three of the chief towns of the district. I have
talked with them and other respectable people
about them, and I have gathered that this exces-
sive use produces all the evil effects which I have
mentioned in answer No. 46 to a greater extent
than any other intoxicant with which I am ac-
quainted. Those members of other classes who
take to charas smoking generally become fakirs
in time, and it is uncommon for them not to do
so. I know of no class, such as labourers, who
take charas in moderation as an ordinary stimu-
lant.
I do not think the moderate use of bhang does
any harm so long as it is moderate.
1 have taken into consideration this moderate use
in making the recommendations in answers No. 63
regarding the experimental prohibition of bhang,
and this is one of the reasons why 1 recommended
the experiment in selected districts only. I find
that the people generally, including the moderate
consumers, are inclined to approve prohibition,
regarding the habit as bad.
It must be understood that my answer refers
only to the Shahpur district. If the prohibition
is not found to be feasible owing to the circum-
stances of other tracts, I think the first step
ought to be to impose a tax on cultivation as pro-
posed in answer No. 62. In the places where the
hemp plant grows spontaneously in abundance,
nothing, so far as I can see, is practicable; but a
transport tax might be introduced which would
have a certain effect in diminishing consumption.
At present bhang is only taxed through the
medium of the licenses for retail vend. I should
think also that in the Shahpur district, and, as far
as I know, in the Punjab generally, the number
of shops for sale of charas and bhang might safely
be largely reduced; but I have already made
some reduction of the Shahpur shops—vide my
answer No. 69. Formerly the licenses of the
Shahpur district were sold for the whole tahsil,
and the contractor could ask permission to open
shops wherever he liked, and that permission was
generally granted. This system led to the open-
ing of more shops that were justified by the needs
of consumers. Some four years ago, under in-
structions from the Commissioner of Excise I