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4. It is known as bunna or jungli siddhi (wild
hemp). This, I cannot say, refers exactly to the
same plant cultivated in Naogaon and Patna.
6. Ordinarily dense.
7. (a) Yes.
(c) Yes, in Behar.
10. No. They are of the same classes as the
other cultivators.
11. Not that I know of.
12. Not in the places I know of.
13. Yes. Rajshahi in Bengal, and Patna in
Behar.
14. (a) Yes.
(c) Yes.
15. (A) Ganja, before being smoked, is gen-
erally cut to pieces, sprinked with a little water,
and mixed with a little quantity of prepared
tobacco and sometimes with that of dried tobacco-
leaf. By well-to-do smokers the drug is soaked
in rosewater before being used.
(B) The drug (bhang) is sometimes used with
pan (betel) in the same way as spices. Some
confections are made with the drug ground.
(C) As a beverage, bhang is drunk mixed with
rosewater, milk and sugar, black pepper, aniseed
and some other seeds, and spices. The poorer
classes generally seem to be content with only
water, black pepper and aniseed.
16. (a) Yes.
(b)
an No.
19. Yes.
20. The industrial classes (mostly up-country
men) smoke ganja with very few exceptions, while
the consumers of charas are mostly Muhammadans
in up-country, not without a sprinkling of Hindus.
Charas is generally used as an aphrodisiac.
21. Round ganja is preferred for smoking, but
the other kinds being cheaper are generally used.
22. Foreign charas is chiefly used.
23. Yes, but rarely. Not in any particular
locality or localities.
24. The up-country men generally drink bhang,
though occasionally eat it. Perhaps it will be
no exaggeration to say that almost all of them
indulge in it. Bengalis also, to some extent,
eat or drink it, either for medicinal purposes or as
an intoxicating drug, instead of alcohol.
25. The use of these drugs, if anything, is
perhaps on the increase. I would attribute it to
the rise in the price of country liquor, consequent
on the abolition of outstill system; secondly,
there is a certain sect of Muhammadans (found
among the lower classes) who though they used
country liquor before, have now taken to these
drugs, as alcohol is prohibited by their religion;
thirdly, many well-to-do people have begun using
them; and lastly, the Ayurvedic treatment in which
bhang is used in many diseases, gaining popularity
in these days, the kabirajes require the drug
more largely than before.
26 and 27. (a) The number of
"habitual
moderate consumers" far exceeds that of "habitual
excessive consumers." The labouring classes,
such as boatmen, fishermen, coolies, etc., having
to be exposed to the inclemencies of the weather,
generally resort to the use of ganja, although
moderately: up-country men with few exceptions
habitually use bhang in moderate quantities.
There are few men in this province who habitually
consume any of these drugs, charas in special, and
that too moderately.
(b) I had no occasion to come across or hear of
habitual excessive consumers of charas, though I
cannot say that this class of consumers of ganja
and bhang are not to be found. Certain religious
sects, such as jogis, sanyasis and fakirs (both
Hindus and Muhammadans) use these drugs
(ganja and bhang) in excessive quantities to enable
them to endure hardships, to deaden their passions,
etc.; and their number is not small.
(c) Amongst others, bhang is generally used
for medicinal purposes, though occasionally drunk
for the sake of pleasure by number of respectable
Bengalis and up-country men. There is a very
small number of occasional moderate consumers
of ganja and charas, who use them for the sake
of pleasure. They are generally found among the
well-to-do class of men. On some religious occa-
sions bhang is used by all Hindus in moderate
quantities, and ganja by some, moderately too.
(d) Bad characters take to excessive consump-
tion occasionally when they have anything to do,
as thereby their senses are stupefied. Licentious
persons and profligates, though they also come
under head (a), generally have recourse to excessive
use of these drugs (charas in especial), the effect
being sexual endurance.
28. (a) To a habitual moderate consumer of
ganja, the average daily cost may be two pice;
moderate consumer of siddhi has generally to spend
one pice or less per diem.
(b) About two annas is the approximate
average cost of an excessive consumer of ganja,
though there are cases where a smoker spends four
to six annas per diem on the drug. As for
siddhi or bhang, two pices (½ anna) might be said
to be the average daily cost of an excessive con-
sumer.
29. (a) Black pepper and aniseed with bhang,
dry tobacco leaves with ganja and prepared tobacco
with charas are ordinarily used. To assist diges-
tion and to prevent cold the mixtures are used
with bhang. To impart mildness in smoking
is the object of admixtures with ganja and
charas.
(b) With bhang, spices are used for making it
flavoury; milk and sugar, to sweeten it and make
it stronger; as are also dhatura and soot with
bhang, and dhatura with ganja, used with the
object of increasing and retaining for some length
of time the intoxication.
There are a collection of seeds, called bhang
massala, which are used with bhang to increase the
flavour of the drink.
30. The consumption of these drugs is generally
practised in company; only those who use any of
these for medicinal purposes take it in solitude.
The profligates also generally use it in solitude. I
cannot say that these drugs are solely confined to
the male sex, although the overwhelming majority
of consumers come of this sex alone. None of
these drugs is confined to any particular time of
life, although the youths generally take to these
things; but in the cases of excessive drunkards,
they having given up the use of alcohol, use ganja
or bhang excessively even at an advanced age. It
is not usual in children to use any of these
drugs.