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ploughed. Ridges are now made over the land
and the seed is sown in July and August; the
seedlings are planted on the ridges. When the
plants flower, experts go round the field and
remove the staminate plants. Ganja will now
form and will be ready in January and beginning
of February.
10. No; they don't form a special class; they
are of the same class as other agricultural culti-
vators.
11 and 12. No.
13. (a) Yes, the cultivation is restricted to the
districts of Rajshahi on account of their soil.
(b) No.
14. (a) Yes, ganja grows extensively in Nao-
gaon in the district of Rajshahi and in Sultanpur
station, Northern Bengal Railway.
Charas is
never extracted in this province; it comes from
Nepal.
Bhang is cultivated to a large extent in Bhagal-
pur, Patna, Monghyr, Sahibganj. Calcutta market
is supplied from the products of these places. It
also grows abundantly in the districts of Rajputana,
where no duty is levied on the product.
16. It is not generally prepared by the people
in their houses. Yes; bhang could be prepared
from the hemp plant wherever grown. No;
ganja and charas require some special process;
besides, wild ganja is unfit for human consumption.
17. Ganja is prepared by the middle-class
Bengalis who are agriculturists and who live in
the Rajshahi district. Bhang is commonly pre-
pared by the middle-class Hindustanis and the
Chowbes of Muttra. It is sometimes, though very
rarely, prepared by malis. Charas is made by the
Nepalese and the people of Amritsar.
18. Yes, they do. Bhang and ganja keep well
for twelve months only, after which they are sup-
posed to lose their intoxicating virtues. Govern-
ment never allows the shop-keepers to retain ganja
for more than two years. Damp and moisture
destroy the resinous matter. There is nothing to
prevent deterioration.
19. Yes; ganja and charas are only used for
smoking, but there is only a nominal percentage
of men who chew ganja and swallow it with the
help of water. Instances of this rare variety of
ganja consumers can be seen amongst the inferior
class of Marwaris living in Barabazar.
20. Ganja is smoked by the Hindus and
Muhammadans. Moreover, Chowbes, Bengali
Babus, sadhus and fakirs smoke it; women of
disreputable character are also ganja-smokers.
Charas is used in very small quantity and by a
limited number of men. Out of 100, 95 would be
ganja-smokers and 5 would be charas-smokers.
21. Round ganja is generally prepared by the
people of this province.
22. Charas is only supplied from Nepal, and
the people of this province prefer it. Amritsar
charas is consumed by the people of Amritsar.
23. No.
24. Marwaris, Johuris or people who deal in
precious stones, Chowbes, most of whom are em-
ployed as jamadars in mercantile firms, Sikhs,
Bikanir men, jogis, and sanyasis drink bhang
to excess. Bengalis and Muhammadans do not
indulge in it. Cent. per cent. of the Johuris and
Chowbes take it, and 30 per cent. of the Marwaris
are known to take it. In Barabazar.
25. They are decidedly on the increase.
Cheapness is their best recommendation.
27. Apart from the poorer class of people who
use ganja and bhang for their cheapness, there
are thousands of respectable men who are addicted
to these drugs only because they are not disallow-
ed by the Shastras or religious scriptures.
Johuris teach their children to practise bhang
from their infancy.
28. (a) One pice to four annas.
(b) Eight annas to two rupees.
29. All classes of ganja-smokers use the same
ingredients, tobacco leaves and little water, whilst
the charas-smokers use only prepared tobacco.
Of those who indulge in bhang, the poorer class
use a small quantity of black pepper only; whilst
the well-to-do class of consumers use sugar, rose-
leaves, aniseed, seeds of cucumber, black pepper,
almonds, cloves, cardamom. Bhang massala—
aniseeds, rose petals, cucumber seeds, seeds of
musk melons, almonds and sugar-candy.
30. Amongst the people of Rajputana and
North-Western Provinces bhang is publicly used,
whilst ganja and charas are, by the majority of
people, practised in solitude. Children of tender
years, say, ten or twelve, are known to drink bhang
very greatly and they belong to the rich class of
Marwaris or Johuris. I have seen a grandfather
pouring a teaspoonful of prepared siddhi into the
mouth of his infant grandchild who was barely
twelve months old.
31. (a) Yes.
(b) No.
(c) There is no such tendency.
32. There is a custom prevalent amongst the
people of this province to drink siddhi on the last
day of the Durga Pooja. The use is considered
essential. It is always temperate. It never
leads to the formation of a habit.
33. Bhang-drinking is never taken into account
by the people of this province.
Ganja and charas
smokers are always looked down upon by higher-
class gentlemen. There is no such custom preva-
lent in this province which would require people
to worship the hemp plant.
34. It would undoubtedly be a privation to the
labouring class of consumers who, to while away
the fatigue of their work, indulge in ganja or
bhang. The kahars or water-carriers and domestic
servants, who form nearly one-eighth of the total
number of inhabitants of Calcutta, will suffer
materially if they are constrained to forego the
habit of ganja-smoking or bhang-drinking.
35. It would not be feasible; certainly it would
be consumed illicitly as it is now to a certain
extent used. It would be impracticable to
enforce prohibition. It would occasion discontent
among the low class of consumers. Prohibition,
if enforced, might lead to political danger. Yes;
the consumers would have recourse to alcoholic
stimulants and other intoxicating drugs.
36. No.
37. In fact there is no difference between the
effects of ganja and charas smoking, but some of
the consumers say that the effect of charas is more
lasting than the effect of ganja. Charas acts
more speedily than ganja,
38. The charas and round varieties of ganja are
superior to the flat ones, and their effects are more
powerful.
39. Ganja-smoking would be less injurious
than ganja-eating.
In smoking the drug, the
greater portion of the resinous matter is destroyed
by burning, and the resinous matter is injurious
to human constitution. The intoxicating power