263
70. Evidence of T. S. KRISTNASAMY C HETTY, Vishnuvite, Pensioned Police Inspec-
tor, Trinamalay, South Arcot District.
1. Ever since I received this pamphlet, I have
been making enquiries from the consumers living
at Trinamalay, and I am sorry I was not able to
procure any information whatever, and so I
waited hitherto for the Kirthigay festival to meet
with sanyasis and others who are habituated to
consume the ganja and other intoxicating sub-
stances.
3. The hemp plants are spontaneously growing
in Javvadu hills and some parts of Darmapuri
Taluk, Salem District, to my knowledge. it is
abundant, I hear, in Javvadu hills above named.
16. The bhang is not generally prepared in
living houses, but they are being prepared by
ascetics, parathasees, etc., in Chatrams and Chava-
dees, where they generally meet, especially in
Southern countries. The bhang can be prepared
from the hemp plant. Ganja or charas is also
prepared from the wild plants wherever grown.
19. Ganja and charas used not only for smok-
ing, but they are used also for medicines.
20. Fakirs, ascetics, bairagis, Muhammadans
generally smoke ganja all over India where they
happen to go and reside, and it is difficult to state
what proportion of the people use this.
24. Fakirs and Muhammadans generally eat
and smoke, and the bairagis of Northern country
drink bhang.
25. The use of these drugs is on the decrease,
as arrack and toddy have become very cheap.
28. Habitual consumers take in average each
of these drugs from one to five palams per diem,
one palam being worth two annas.
32. There are certain classes of people in
Southern India who worship Muni, Karuppan,
Veeran, Maruthaveeran, etc., whom they call
their family deities, usually offer ganja as offer-
ings and then consume.
33. The public at large hate the immoderate
consumers of these drugs and have got a low
opinion of them. It is not customary to worship
the hemp plant among any sects.
39. Smoking of these drugs is less injurious
than drinking, as the giddiness produced by
smoking is being relieved in a short time, but
the giddiness produced by drinking takes a good
deal of time for relief owing to the late digestion
of the substance that got into one's body.
40. These drugs are being used by Native
doctors in the preparation of medicines, and they
are not used in the treatment of cattle diseases.
41. It is beneficial to some extent.
42. The moderate use of any of these drugs is
harmless, as it stimulates one who uses it to some
extent at the time.
43. Yes.
44. Immediately it is taken moderately, it
stimulates him and thus makes him, to attend
to his work briskly. It does refresh him. It
does not produce intoxication. It does allay
hunger. It does not create appetite. The effect
lasts from one to five hours according to the
n a t u r e o f t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n . I t b r i n g s o n e v e n
after-effects. The want of these drugs by con-
sumers produces uneasiness on them.
45. The habitual moderate use of any of these
drugs produces no harm whatever, physically,
mentally or morally.
49. Yes ; to some extent in my local enquiry.
51. Nil.
53. By taking excessively it does not make a
man to commit any crime whatever, as it makes
him to fall down with giddiness. I have heard
of several cases it brings on temporary homicidal
frenzy.
54. No.
55. Criminals in order to further their designs
give them for their victims. It does bring on
complete temporary giddiness on their victims.
71. Evidence of MR. I. TYRRELL, Superintendent of Central Jail, Rajahnzundry.
I have the honour to inform you that it is a
matter of regret to me that I cannot throw any
light upon such an important subject that would
be worth recording. To answer but a few of the
different questions would take up much time, and
would also require some previous study to answer
the questions effectively. It is well-known by
jail officials that ganja is highly esteemed by the
criminal population. In every jail ganja is found
from time to time when searching prisoners, and
from my own experience the most hardened
offenders are the greatest consumers. I have been
employed as a jail official for more than 26 years,
and can remember at different times during that
period assaults made on jail officials, jail servants
and fellow-convicts by prisoners who were at the
time, when committing the assaults, under the in-
fluence of ganja. In this respect the Madras
Penitentiary probably heads the list, as the jail
has generally some hundreds of habituals in it
and many of them would go to extremes to get
p o s s e s s i o n o f g a n g a . T h o s e t h a t c o u l d m a n a g e
to get money from their friends outside would pay
highly for a small quantity of ganja, and those
without money would give away their food for a
very small quantity of this drug. I have known
prisoners to chew it as tobacco is chewed; but it
was generally smoked rolled up in a leaf from a
tree suitable for the purpose. Had observations
been recorded at the Penitentiary from 1869 to
1879, some useful information as to its baneful
effects upon those using it would have been forth-
coming. I should certainly say, from the number
of men I have seen under its influence, that the
drug stimulates the passions of some men and
makes others utterly reckless, caring but little
when under its influence what crimes they
commit.