537
ment in the manner we administer the excise of
ganja in Assam. Any improvement (including
the heroic step of prohibiting the cultivation of
hemp altogether) must come to us through
Bengal.
60. Neither ganja nor charas are produced in
Assam.
63. I have no improvement to suggest so far as
this province is concerned.
64. None whatever.
65. We are gradually raising the duty on ganja,
and will go on doing so till its retail price assimi-
lates to that of opium and liquor (see Table B). I
think that is all that can or should be done.
66. Table A seen with Table B shows the
necessity of differential rates on the three different
varieties of the drug. But this is a matter on
which the Rajshahi authorities will be most compe-
tent to speak.
67. No objection.
68. Ganja is not consumed on the premises in
Assam.
69. If objections are raised, they are carefully
considered. As a rule, petitions for the opening
of new shops are more common than petitions
desiring the closing of existing shops.
70. Bhang, as I have already said above, is
largely smuggled into the plains districts of this
province. The district tables appended to Table B
will show the number of prosecutions for such
smuggling. But the practice is very common,
and at such bazaars as Tharia, Jaintiapur, Bhola-
ganj, which stand on semi-independent territory,
a fairly large trade is done in the dried wild plant.
Successful prosecutions make the trade unprofit-
able for a time, but it always revives, and, like the
hemp weed itself, never quite dies out.
Oral evidence.
Question 1. —I am 18 years' service, all but three
of which have been passed in Assam. I have had
experience in all parts of the province—the hill
tracts and the two valleys as well. I was only offi-
ciating as Excise Commissioner for three months.
Question 2.—I do not know of any importation
of bhang specially so-called, nor do I know of its
existence apart from ganja. The wild bhang
always has the flowering head.
Question 3.—The wild hemp is commonly found
in deserted homesteads and growing as a weed in
gardens. I think it grows thus in all parts of the
province. The existence of the wild plant in
occupied land does not constitute a breach of the
excise regulations. I think it might be allowed
to grow provided there was no intention of using
it as an intoxicant. The wild hill ganja is con-
traband under the Circular 28 of 1882, because it
is supposed to be stronger than the wild hemp
of the plains, and it is presumed that it would not
be imported and bought except for use as an
intoxicant. The latter is the only reason indi-
cated in the circular. It is my personal opinion
that the hill ganja is stronger than the wild ganja
of the plains, because it is commonly brought to
the bazaars and finds purchasers. I have also
been told by natives that it is stronger. The
special name I have given in answer to question
4 seems to indicate this. It is possible that its
superior strength arises from the fact that it is
cultivated. On the other hand, a good deal of it
comes from the Khasi Hills, where I have never
heard that it is cultivated, and I think I should
have heard of it if it had been the fact. I have
no reason to suppose that the two plants differ
botanically. I have not served for any long
period in the Khasi Hills since 1882. I am not
certain that I should know the wild or cultivated
plant by sight even now, though I have often had
the wild plant pointed out to me. It was first
pointed out to me at a place at the foot of the
Khasi Hills in 1881. I produce a specimen of
bhang which was given to me on my way to this
office. I enquired for it in a garden and the man
produced it. It was growing as a weed. The
man is an Assamese Hindu, one of my own chap-
rassis and an opium-eater. I merely asked for a
specimen of wild bhang. It is difficult to say if
such growth as I have described interferes with
the excise revenue. Coolies in tea-gardens might
grow it, but they live as a rule in lines without
any ground under their control on which they
could grow it. Still, as I have said in my written
answer to question 3, I think it must be consumed
to the prejudice of excise ganja. I have found
my own syces drying the herb, and I think they
must have been doing it for their own consump-
tion. I should not prosecute a man for having
such plants in his compound unless it was clear he
was cultivating it. Ordinarily, if I found weed-
ing, watering, and digging about, I should prose-
cute; if not, not. If it were found in the garden
of a Hindustani, there would be stronger ground
for supposing it was being cultivated than if it
were in the garden of an Assamese. The present
rule permitting the growth of ganja for cattle
medicine may be one reason for the consumption
decreasing in spite of the fact that the immigrant
population is largely increasing. I think it un-
satisfactory, from the excise point of view, that
this permission exists, and I cannot say whether
the plant is required for cattle to such an extent
as to render it undesirable to stop the permission.
I know as a matter of common hearsay that it is
used for cattle, but I cannot say how much. The
idea is that the immigrant does not use it for his
cattle but for smoking, and that the Assamese do
not use the drug for smoking but do use it for
their cattle. By Assamese I mean the inhabitants
of the Assam Valley. The inhabitants of the
other valley do smoke ganja; those of the
Assamese districts of the Assam Valley rarely
do so. The above remark does not apply to the
Miris, who, as I said in answer to question 12,
fence in the wild plant on a large scale for con-
sumption and vend.
Question 6.—The garden I refer to in this
answer was one owned by a Bengali, who, I do not
think, was a consumer of bhang or ganja. He
gave me the information in casual conversation,
and I did not verify it by personal inspection. I
dare say the owner did not endeavour very hard
to eradicate the plant.
Question 11.—The prosecutions I refer to oc-
curred in Sylhet where there are primâ facie
reasons for supposing the plant was grown for
human consumption. I think the offenders ad-
mitted that the plants were grown from the seed
of excise ganja.
Question 53.—The cases I refer to came before
me in court. I do not think the record of the
cases would show that ganja entered into them.
I cannot at the moment recall the cases I had in
my mind when I wrote the answer, but I must
have been thinking of some cases. I do not re-
member how many cases there were nor anything
about them.
4 B