432
Ganja
Charas
Bhang
26. (a) 80 per cent 90 per cent 97 per cent
(b) 16 per cent
7 per cent
1 per cent
(c) 3 per cent
2 per cent
1 per cent
(d) 1 per cent
1 per cent
1 per cent
27. Habits of life or circumstances which
mainly lead to the practice of ganja, charas and
bhang.
Ganja.—(a) Daily working habits and espe-
pecially working under the sun
or cold make the up-country
people and lower classes of natives
of Bengal smoke ganja and
charas habitually and moderately.
(b) Sanyasis become habitual exces-
sive smokers of ganja in order to
concentrate their mind and fix
their attention to devotional pur-
poses, and drive away all cares
and anxieties and to abstain from
passions and appetities; and to
guard against the inclemencies of
the weather, as they are in the
habit of living in exposed places.
Few other people than the
sanyasis become habitual exces-
sive smokers merely for enjoy-
ment's sake to drive away all
worldly anxieties.
(c) A few higher and middle class
Bengalis
become
occasional
moderate smokers for temporary
pleasures and observance of cer-
tain religious performances.
(d) The same may hold good in regard
to lower class of people, but their
number is considerably large.
Charas.—(a) A few higher and middle class-
es of people of Lower Bengal
and North-Western Provinces
are habitual moderate consumers
of charas for the mere sake of
pleasure, as they technically term
it.
(b) I have heard that a very few
lower classes of people become
occasional excessive consumers of
charas, but I have no experience
of their number.
Classes of people.
Ganja and Charas
Bhang
(a) Lower class people (a) Lower class people,
and few middle
i. e.—Hindustanis,
class men.
Mewars, Marwaris,
(b) Lower class people
sanyasis
(c)
Ditto
(d)
Ditto
28. Ganja
Charas
Bhang
(a) 2 Pice
1 Pice
1 Pice
(b) 4 Pice, 8 Pice 2 Pice
2 Pice
for Sanyasis
29. Ganja admixture Charas
Bhang
ordinary
admixture
admixture
1. Tobacco leaves Goorook
coriander,
2. Guruk tamak tamak.
mauri
(anise),
poppy seeds,
rose flower buds,
cucumber seeds.
Ingredients exceptionally mixed—1, Sugar.
2. Milk. 3. Dhatura seeds.
Objects.—(1) To increase the narcotic power.
(2) To decrease pungency.
(3) To sweeten and
give flavour and make palatable. (4) To remove
constipation and flatulency.
Bhang massala.—(1) coriander, (2) mauri
(anise), (3) poppy seeds, (4) rose flower buds,
(5) cucumber seeds.
30. Each man consumes about a pice or two of
ganja or charas or bhang in solitude daily; he
consumes more than two pice of ganja or charas
when in company. The rule for bhang is the
same either in solitude or in company.
Male sex usually smoke ganja or charas after
the age of 30. Few prostitutes smoke them; up-
country people both young and old drink bhang,
children rarely.
31. (a) Yes.
(b) It is not difficult to break off.
(c) Yes.
32. (b) No.
(c) Temperate.
(d) No.
33. Notion for ganja-smoking—bad. Meanness
and a certain amount of moral degradation are
attached to the habit of smoking ganja and
charas; no bad repute is attached to siddhi. No
evil effects.
34. No. If a habitual ganja or charas smoker
be denied the use of these drugs, he may feel
little physical uneasiness for a certain number of
days, then it ceases.
35. I think it quite feasible to abolish or prohi-
bit the use of ganja and charas, but not siddhi or
bhang. There is little chance of ganja and charas
being illicitly consumed. The people do not know
how these drugs are manufactured. Prohibition of
the use of ganja and charas would create slight dis-
content among the ganja and charas smokers, and
that for a time only; neither it would create any
political danger. But the prohibition of bhang
would assuredly create general and widespread
discontent among all classes of the people, because
the drug is highly valuable in connection with the
preparation of some highly useful medicines of the
Indian school; besides, the moderate use of the
drug is rather wholesome than injurious. Prohi-
bition of these drugs would not, I believe, lead to
the use of alcohol.
37. Effects nearly the same; those of charas
smoking being milder than those of ganja smok-
ing.
40. Extracts and tinctures of Cannabis indica
are now and then prescribed for its medicinal
qualities by native doctors. Ganja boiled with
oil is used for the cure of itches and other allied
skin affections.
Powdered siddhi with other ingredients are often
used by native kabirajes for the cure of many
diseases of the digestive tract and many nervous
disorders.
41. The moderate smoking of ganja and charas
increases, no doubt, appetite and is digestive to
some extent. I admit that they act beneficially
in this wise, but act injuriously in many ways.
First.—It brings on bronchitis and some other
chest diseases.
Second.— It blunts the memory, produces gid-
diness of the brain and makes temper