235
ganja (flat, round and chur produced in Naogaon),
and that grown in other localities, such as
Gurjat in the Tributary Mahals, in Orissa, accor-
ding to their narcotic strength and the wood they
contain.
The present rates of duty on the Naogaon
round and chur ganja are disproportionate. They
might be raised to R8 and R10 respectively.
67. I have no objection to the present method
of taxing ganja.
68. There are some licensed ganja shops in
the ganja mahal for the vend of ganja. The
quantity of ganja sold is partly smoked in the
shop and partly consumed elsewhere. I have no
objection to persons smoking ganja in the shop.
69. In opening a ganja shop in any place, the
wishes of the people are not consulted or consi-
dered. I think it is not necessary to consult
or consider local public opinion, as the shop is
not a nuisance.
70. I have no knowledge as regards the im-
portation or smuggling of hemp drugs from
Native States into Bengal. Petty ganja smug-
gling goes on in the ganja tract, and it cannot be
suppressed. Duty is paid in respect to the ganja
used.
There is no general use of untaxed
ganja.
85. Evidence of MR. E. R. HENRY, Inspector General of Police, Bengal.
I have the honour to state that I forwarded
copies of questions 51 to 55 set by the Indian
Hemp Drugs Commission to all the District Su-
perintendents in the Lower Provinces for report.
I have now received their replies, and forward
summaries of the information collected.
51. The general opinion is that no large propor-
tion of bad characters are habitual moderate con-
sumers of these drugs, and that the moderate use
has no connection with crime in general or with
crime of any special character. Bad characters are
said to use these drugs in Howrah, Puri, Dinajpur,
Tippera, Bankura and Pabna, but there is nothing
to show that they do so to a greater extent than
the ordinary population of the lower classes. In
some places petty thefts are reported to have been
committed in order to obtain the means of pur-
chasing the drug. Beyond this form of crime no
others can in any way be directly connected with
the moderate use of the drugs.
52. The consensus of opinion is that the exces-
sive use of these drugs has but little connection
with crime. There is considerable divergence of
opinion regarding the excessive use of these drugs.
Some few consider that the excessive use of the
drugs has an enervating effect, producing in-
capacity, while a larger number report that it
has been known to induce madness, excitability,
assaults on females, suicide and murder.
53. As regards this question, opinion is also
divided. Some District Superintendents are in-
clined to believe that the excessive use of hemp
drugs does lead to the commission of unpremedi-
tated crime, while, on the other hand, several
officers hold the contrary opinion. There seems,
however, little doubt but that the excessive use
of ganja makes a man irritable; and there are
cases on record in which murders and murderous
assaults have been committed under its influence.
54. It does not appear that hemp drugs are
generally used by criminals to fortify themselves
to commit premeditated crimes. Several officers,
however, report that they are used by lattials
(club-men) and dacoits (gang robbers) to stimu-
late their courage when setting out on fatiguing
and hazardous expeditions.
55. The general opinion is that the drugs are
not used to stupefy victims preparatory to the
commission of crime. There do not appear to be
any instances in which these drugs have been used
alone to produce stupor, and in the few cases in
which its use is reported, it has been mixed with
dhatura, when stupefaction is produced. Possibly
the drug administered to excess will cause com-
plete stupefaction, but it seems doubtful whether
insensibility, such as is necessary for criminal pur-
poses, can be caused by hemp drugs alone to
intended victims without detection.
Oral evidence.
I joined the Bengal Civil Service in 1873.
Practically all my service has been in Bengal. I
have been three years Inspector-General of Police
in that province.
Question 51.—I am having a kind of Criminal
Biography compiled confidentially for the bad
characters of the province. It is done for several
thousands. I have here the figures for 1,408 bad
characters. I have not selected them, but have
taken all the figures for Gaya town and four other
districts. These biographies were compiled quite
apart from any inquiries for this Commission.
Of the 1,408, I find it on record that 601 (of
whom 334 are of Monghyr and 133 of Gaya) are
addicted to the use of liquor, 199 (of whom 71 are
in Rajshahi) are addicted to the use of ganja, 16
are said to take bhang, none are shown to take
charas, 49 take opium in various forms, and 38
are stated to. take both ganja and other stimulants.
The four districts are Cuttack, Monghyr, Rajshahi
and Howrah. I took these districts for these
reasons. In Orissa opium is mostly used, so I
took Cuttack. Rajshahi is a ganja-producing
district. Howrah has a large population of mill-
hands, operatives and artizans. Monghyr is a
typical Behar district, where there are a large
number of men believed to lead an actively crimi-
nal life. Gaya is a great pilgrim resort.
I have no information about the balance, 505.
The figures I have given simply show the cases in
which entries as to intoxicants were made in the
biographies. These, as I have said, were not
compiled in connection with any inquiry as to
intoxicants. In my belief these districts are re-
presentative. The divisions represented are Orissa,
Patna, Rajshahi, Bhagalpur and Burdwan.
It is a matter of some importance to know
whether a bad character uses intoxicants, and
most police officers would note whether a man
took ganja or liquor. He would not be likely to
note the bhang habit unless it were to excess.
But this note would depend on the personal equa-
tion of the officer, for there are no definite orders
on the point. The police officer has simply to
write out the best description he can of the bad
character. The great majority of the cases in
which these bad characters are involved will be
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