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50. Evidence of BABU JOGENDRO NATH BANDYOPADHYA, Brahmin, Deputy Magistrate
and Deputy Collector, Jalpaiguri.
1. I have derived my experience as the Excise
Deputy Collector of the District and as a general
enquirer of the subject.
2. These definitions can be accepted for this
division—
Flat ganja is locally known as chipta ganja.
Round ganja is locally known as gol ganja.
Broken ganja is locally known as chur.
3. In Rajshahi, Bogra, Rangpur, and Dinajpur.
It grows abundantly at Balighara in Bogra, Nao-
gaon in Rajshahi and Mahadevpur in Dinajpur.
4. Bhang and ganja, and in some districts
banganja or wild ganja, which is not cultivated,
but has an indigenous growth.
5. It grows in temperate climate and moist soil.
6. It is ordinarily dense.
7. In Rajshahi, Bogra, and Dinajpur, special
arrangement is made for the production of ganja.
9. Hemp is cultivated mostly on the principle
of paddy cultivation, the small plants originally
raised from seeds, but afterwards transplanted in
rows similar to potato-rows. Free-watering is
necessary to keep moisture which, communicated
through the roots, promotes growth.
10. No. The agricultural cultivators generally
cultivate hemp.
11. No; not in Bengal. It is sometimes the
case in Orissa where a sort of hemp is cultivated
for narcotic purposes called Gurjat ganja.
12. In Orissa.
13. Yes; it is restricted to parts of Dinajpur,
Bogra, and Rajshahi districts only. Those dis¬
tricts have been selected, as hemp plant for ganja
grows in abundance in the particular parts of
those districts. If not restricted, its cultivation
may be common to all districts of this division
except Darjeeling, where its cultivation is impos¬
sible for its rocky soil and dry climate.
14. Yes; ganja plant only is prepared in the
districts of Bogra, Rajshahi, and Dinajpur.
16. Yes; bhang can be and is prepared generally
by the people in their houses from the indigenous
hemp plant wherever grown.
17. There are no particular classes of the people
who make the preparations of the hemp drug.
Charas is neither made nor consumed in this
district.
18. Yes. Bhang loses its effect in two years;
ganja in four years, and charas in eight years.
Exposure to moisture and damp causes deteriora¬
tion. If these are kept in tin-clad chests, placed
in well-ventilated room, it may prevent deteriora¬
tion.
19. Yes; but the use of charas is not very pre¬
valent in this division. It is only the lower
classes of people that smoke ganja.
21. The chur ganja is generally preferred for
smoking.
22. It is only the native charas, and that is very
rarely used.
23. Yes; in the districts of Patna and Bhagal-
pur Divisions by Marwaris, Chamars, and other
low up-country people.
24. Bhang is not generally used in this district.
25. The use of ganja is on the increase in this
district, as it appears from the increase of its sale.
27. The agricultural people are the general
consumers of ganja. They smoke the drug to
shake off mental and physical depression caused
by excess in labour and climatic influences.
29. Tobacco is generally used with ganja.
Some spices, cardamom, cinnamon, black-pepper,
sugar, and milk are ordinarily used with bhang,
and this admixture is generally called siddhi. The
object of such admixture seems to be to add to the
narcotic powers of the respective drugs and to
render the drink palatable and nourishing in res¬
pect of bhang or siddhi. Bhang massala is not
prevalent here, and is not therefore sold in the
bazar. A preparation like this is sold in the
Patna and Bhagalpur Divisions consisting of nut¬
meg, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper and
other ingredients.
30. Ganja is smoked sometimes in solitude and
sometimes in company as the opportunity occurs.
It is mainly confined to the male sex. It is
not usual for children to consume any of these
drugs.
31. The habit is easily formed in the lower
classes of people. It is not so much difficult to
break off as in the case of opium, There is not a
tendency in the case of any of these drugs for the
moderate habit to develop into the excessive.
32. Siddhi in a sherbet form is used during the
Durga puja, Kali puja, and some other minor
pujas. This is regarded as essential. It is
generally temperate. This is not likely to lead
to the formation of a habit.
33. The ganja is almost universally smoked by
sanyasis. They use it as helping meditation.
It has therefore received a social and religious
sanction in their case. But the use of these drugs
is generally in disrepute, if used by people for the
sake of intoxication.
34. It would be considered a serious privation
by the lower classes of people and the sanyasis
as they have been habituated to it, though for
different objects.
35. It would be difficult to prohibit the use of
ganja and siddhi, as these have some sort of social
and religious sanction in case of certain sections
of the community.
The drug is sometimes consumed illicitly.
The prohibition would occasion serious discon¬
tent among the consumers, but there would be
no political danger.
36. In higher classes alcohol is now being, to
a certain extent, substituted for ganja and charas.
38. There is no very appreciable difference in
the effects in kind of the use of the three different
preparations of ganja, but there is in degree. As
chur is finer than the other sorts and round finer
than flat, the intensity of intoxication increases
with the increase of fineness.
39. The smoking of any preparation of the hemp
plant is less injurious form of consumption than
drinking or eating the same, or any other prepara¬
tion, as there is the least assimilation of the drug
with our system in the case of smoking.
40. Native doctors sometimes prescribe bhang
as medicine. Ganja is used in the treatment of
cattle disease.