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127. Evidence of Assistant Surgeon BEHARI LAL PAL, Sadgop, Krishnagar,
Nadia.
1. Personal experience.
2. Yes; siddhi, charas and ganja.
3 and 4. Not known.
5. I do not know.
6. I saw only few scattered hemp plants in
Jessore district.
7. Not known to me.
10 to 12. Not known.
13. Is restricted in this district.
14. Not known.
15. I do not know.
16 and 17. Not known.
18. They quite lose their effects in time. But
with ordinary care they may keep good for one
year, I think. To prevent deterioration they must
be kept in an air-tight case on an elevated place.
19. They are used in smoking in this district.
20. Sanyasis, boatmen, and fishermen.
21. I hear that chur is preferred.
22. Foreign, from Nepal.
23. Not known.
24. Up-country men generally drink bhang.
25 to 28. Not known.
29. Some spices and sugar are ordinarily mixed
with bhang. I do not know of any preparation,
such as "bhang massala".
30. In company to a greater extent. Children
seldom consume these drugs.
31. Yes; I hear that it is difficult to break off.
In some cases moderate habit develops into excess.
32. It is a religious custom among the Hindus
to drink siddhi in a temperate form on the Bijaya
Dasami day.
It does not lead to the formation of habit.
33. Not known.
34. I think it would be a serious privation to
the habitual consumers to forego the consump-
tion of the drug they use.
35. I do not think it would be feasible to
prohibit the use of these drugs. I believe that
prohibition will occasion serious discontent among
the consumers. Prohibition may be followed by
recourse to alcoholic stimulants or other drugs.
36. I do not think that alcohol is being substi-
tuted at present for any of these drugs.
37 to 40. Not known.
41. (a) and (b) I believe so.
(c) I have no personal knowledge.
(d) Not known. Moderate habitual use is
referred to.
43. Yes.
44. It is said to be refreshing, intoxicating, and
it excites appetite.
45. (b) I believe so.
(c) I do not think.
(d) I heard several cases of dysentery occurred
among ganja-smokers.
(e) I do not think.
(f) I think that ganja-smoking deadens the
intellect and produces insanity—mania. Several
insanes confess to the use of ganja.
(g) I have no special knowledge.
46. As in answer to 45.
47 and 48. I do not think.
49. (a) It is used as an aphrodisiac.
(b), (c) and (d) Not known.
50. In excessive use, I think, it produces
impotency.
51 to 54. Not known.
55. (a) I do not think.
56. Admixture of dhatura increases intoxicating
power.
57. Not known.
128. Evidence of Assistant Surgeon HARI MOHAN SEN, Baidya, Chittagong.
1. I have made a study of the subject with a
view to determine the effects of the drug on the
constitution of men. I have made personal in-
vestigations and examined cases.
2. These definitions are accepted in this pro-
vince, and the local names are the same.
3, 4, 5 and 6. I know not much about the
cultivation and growth of this plant.
19. Ganja and charas are used only for smok-
ing.
20. Ganja is smoked by people of all classes
more or less; but it is the labouring classes who
are most addicted to it. The people inhabiting
the Eastern Districts of Bengal are given to its
use more than those of other localities.
23. I have never known bhang to be used for
smoking.
24. Bhang is drunk or eaten chiefly by the
middle class of people and only in time of festivi-
ties. The Marwaris, the religious mendicants
from the up-country, sanyasis and bairagis use it-
habitually.
27. As regards the consumption of ganja I
may divide the people under four heads:—
(a) Well-to-do, well-fed, leisured classes.
They take to the use of the drug for
the fun of the thing to occupy their
vacant hours, and for the aphrodisiac
properties of
the drug. (b) Ill-fed
labouring classes. They take to the
use of the drug for they forget their
miseries while under its influence.
(c) Criminal classes, robbers, dacoits,
etc. They take it as an excitant and
a concentrator of forces. (d) Religi-
ous mendicants take it for helping
mental abstraction and
deadening
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