421
40. Ganja.—In cases of pain in the stomach.
Bhang is at times administered to cattle as a
medicine.
43. I have known of no cases of any ganja
consumers being offensive to their neighbours.
Bhang.—One of my servants, who drank bhang
prepared from the green leaves with seed, was
slightly excited and offensive to the others.
44. Ganja-smoking makes them quiet for a
time; they say it is a relief after hard work and
allays hunger.
Bhang, a good drink; they say is very refresh-
ing; it sometimes gives a little excitement; seldom,
unless excessive, intoxicates.
45. I do not think bhang drink or ganja-smok-
ing moderately causes laziness or habits of immor-
ality or debauchery.
46. Smoking ganja strong does produce tem-
porary insanity, as also does strong bhang
mixture.
55. Yes.
62. Wild hemp or bhang grows wild; it would
be impossible to control the growth, and the
police (native) would always trouble raiyats where
bhang is growing.
64. None.
65. Yes, on ganja. No tax on bhang.
68. Yes; for sale of ganja.
69. Yes, the vendor first consults the villagers,
and then petitions the Magistrate. Local opinion
ought to be considered. Any planter or zamindar
having any objection to the shop in certain places,
on giving reasonable grounds, can have it removed
by petitioning the Magistrate.
194. Evidence of Mr. H. L. WEATHERALL, Zamindari Manager, Dacca.
Oral evidence.
I have been in the Dacca Division for 22
years as manager of the private estates of
the Nawab of Dacca, and have visited Mymen-
singh and Tippera in the course of my duties.
I have lived six or eight months at a stretch
in the districts among the people.
The hemp plant does not grow obtrusively.
I have noticed it here and there. I have seen
small quantities in clearings in the Bawal forests.
I have never seen it apart from habitations. This
inference seems to be that the plant is not indi-
genous, but gets propagated by human agency.
I have never seen as large a patch of it as one
acre. I have seen small quantites growing with
tobacco in the yards of houses, especially in forest
clearings.
The hemp drug is consumed mostly by the
fishermen, boatmen, and dooly-bearers, and the
class of water gypsies who call themselves bedyas.
The religious mendicants use the drug in excess.
A large proportion of the other classes I have
mentioned use it, and use it in moderation, but the
proportion of the whole population is decidedly
small.
I have never observed any deleterious effects on
the health of the people who use the drug. Those
who take the drug in excess, such as the mendi-
cants, seem to do nothing but smoke all day
long and to be of little use for any thing else.
The moderate consumers who are hard manual
workers seem to be better for the drug, and to
be enabled by it to stand more fatigue.
I certainly think there is no case for total prohibi-
tion of ganja. Nor should I think there was any
call for restricting the use of the drug more severely
than is done at present. The present system has
been working admirably all these years, and there
is nothing calling for reform. There is always a
certain amount of smuggling going on, but it
is not very noticeable. I think the wild drug is
to some extent used. They cannot make ganja
out of it, but they can probably make something
which they can smoke. It would be very inferior
to excise ganja.
A ganja smoker is not looked upon as a moral
leper, nor is he regarded as unfit for manual or
other employment. A ganja smoker is a marked
man as a liquor drinker is, but nothing more.
The liquor habit is regarded with greater repug-
nance. I am not aware of a strong feeling against
the drug in any quarter. A man who does not
use the drug is regarded as of superior character.
There is a popular idea that the drug produces
insanity. I have not seen the asylum returns, but
I heard something of the subject from Dr. Wise,
who thought he had traced some connection be-
tween the drug and insanity. The popular belief
would cause the parents in a respectable family
to view with alarm the adoption of the habit by
any member of the family. The regular consum-
ing classes would have no such fear. I have not
myself formed any opinion on the subject. I have
seen lunatics about whom it was said that ganja
was the cause, but I am unable to say what ground
there was for the statement.
The people of this part of the country, of whom
a large proportion are Muhammadans, are a sober
and temperate people in regard to the use of in-
toxicants of all kinds.
195. Evidence of BABU GAURI SHANKAR, Manager, Bachour, Darbhanga.
20. Charas is almost unknown to this district.
As akin, however, to ganja, and as a mixture in
which ganja is the principal component its attri-
butes, concomitants and effects might well be put
down to be the same as those of the ganja.
Ganja and bhang are both freely consumed
in the district. They are not confined to any
special class of the population. They find favour
with a great many of the non-spirit consuming
Hindus of all grades and denominations. They are
used moderately.
41. The object and the pleasures of these drugs
may be thus described:—
Bhang.—The object is twofold—(1) medicinal,
and (2) pleasure-giving.
Medicinally, bhang is reported to be eradi-
cative or at least palliative of constipation, and