506
miserable living by their joint labour, and if they
fail in it, they curse their fate and mourn. And
thirdly, because they have not the power to reckon
up their gain or loss, as they keep no account at
all for doing it.
To their rescue.-—It is the duty of the Govern-
ment to come to the rescue of the cultivators.
Tobacco, chillies, potatoes and several other crops
can be grown on the rich highlands which are
now devoted to ganja. The venture would prove
very remunerative, especially as a railway now
runs through the heart of the ganja-growing
country, which would open up the market for
any kind of valuable produce. There can be
little doubt that the cultivation of ganja could be
easily suppressed by the authority of Government.
Mr. Buckland writes as follows: "The same
power which enacted the law now in force prohi-
biting the cultivation of ganja without the license
of a Government official, could easily prohibit it
altogether, either directly or indirectly. If the
licenses were withdrawn, the cultivation would
cease, or if the conditions on which the licenses
were granted were made more difficult, the cul-
tivators would no longer care to apply for them."
Vide National Review, January 1884.
A Plea for Ganja.—It has been urged that if
ganja trade were suppressed, the people who use
ganja would then be compelled to have recourse to
some other drugs of more deleterious character.
It is not easy to suggest what these other drugs
may be; but it is difficult to find any that would
be more deleterious than ganja or equally so.
Government loss.—The revenue that the Go-
vernment derives from this "immoral trade" is
little over 23 lacs a year (vi de App. iii c). And
surely for fear of being deprived of this revenue,
the Government should not make any scruple to
suppress the cultivation of ganja and prohibit the
public sale of it in any form by law. Some pro-
vision might, perhaps, be made for the sale under
medical advice of the produce of wild hemp
through licensed chemists and druggists as some
doctors assert that it has some medicinal qualities.
Hemp Drugs Consumption.—The consumption
of ganja and its subordinate varieties is ever
looked upon by the Hindus as positive vices.
Mr. Kerr estimates the number of ganja-smokers
in the Lower Provinces and the North-West as
not more than 80,000 people (Rep., p. 45), And
he arrives at this figure by estimating the quantity
sold to be little above seven thousand maunds,
which is far above the average (vi de App. iii B 2).
The agricultural class generally avoid it; the
artizan, the syce, the sweeper and the mendicant
use it.
Their Privation.—The privation of the use of
any of these drugs would not be serious. The
sanitary records of the Indian jails do not show
that convicts accustomed to the use of these drugs
have suffered by being deprived of them. The
reports of the lunatic asylums show that a
large number of admissions ut supra are from the
evil effects of ganja-smoking in especial. While
there, they are not allowed to indulge in hemp
drugs for that aggravates the malady. When
these people come out cured, their habits of life
are changed. It would be simply ridiculous to
think that the discontent due to prohibition
would be serious, nay, would amount to a politi-
cal danger.
Bhang.—-Now to turn to bhang or siddhi. It
grows wild in many districts and especially in
the Rajshahi Division, in Monghyr and Bhagal-
pur and the Tributary States (E. A. R., 1892-93,
p. 40). Bhang is generally used as decoction
and is believed to be much less deleterious than
ganja. The total revenue derived from bhang
is R50,000 on an average (vide App. iii D).
Charas.—Charas is obtained from Amritsar and
Allahabad (E. A. R., 1892-93, p. 22). It probably
represents the deleterious essence of ganja in its
greatest purity and strength. Happily, charas
is seldom or never used by natives of Bengal. It
can never be grown in Bengal and the importa-
tion can easily be prevented. The total revenue
derived from this article is less than 9,000 on an
average (E. A. Rep., 1892-93, p. 42). There can
be no two opinions as to the necessity of suppress-
ing the consumption of this highly deleterious
drug altogether.
Majum.—Majum or majun is only used by the
dissolute for exciting their animal propensities
(Kerr's Rep., p. 11). Fortunately, very little
majum is used in the province. The total
revenue derived from it is less than R2,000 on an
average (E. A. Rep., 1892-93, p. 42). This pre-
paration is not supposed to have any medicinal
qualities whatever, and there could not be the
slightest hesitation in putting a stop to its
consumption.
Religious Sanction discussed.—The next point
to be considered in this connection is as to
the religious sanction in the use of the hemp
drugs; or in other words, whether in suppressing
the use of the hemp drugs the Government
would be interfering with the religious usages and
customs of the people. At first sight it seems to
be merely an idle plea for a Government which
has stated in emphatic (though impolitic) terms
that it would meddle with any custom or usage of
the people, however well-sanctioned that might
be by religion, if it forsooth was considered
opposed to its own idea of morality. But to
discuss the subject on its merits. The issues
should be clearly understood. It must first of all
be noticed that charas and majum and ganja as
now used are never sanctioned by religious custom
or usage. As for ganja, we append here (vide
App. ii) the vyavasthas (opinions) of eminent
pandits which condemn its use and declare that
except some reference to it in the Tantras, which
are considered modern interpolations, there is no
mention of it made in any other Shastras. The
theory of religious sanction for the use of ganja
gets a rude shock when we examine the way
in which people of this country take to it. In
fact, it is not enjoined in one or the other Shastras,
but is used because it serves as a cheap and
powerful intoxicant. We are confirmed in this
opinion by the statement in the Excise Adminis-
tration Report, 1892-93, p. 40, viz. "It is reported
by the Collectors of Bankura, Birbhum, Hughli,
Nadia, Jessore and Shahabad that people of
the poorer classes are taking to ganja on account
of the high price of distillery liquor, which they
can ill afford to purchase."
Next, it has been pointed out that siddhi is a
favourite offering to the god Siva. In fact, at
the great shrine of Tarkeshwar, siddhis are cast
over the phallus by devotees from all parts of
India. That on the last day of the Durga Puja
festival it is offered to every guest and member
of the family. It must be noted here that the
offerings of siddhi to the deity and the guests are
made only as symbolic for victory and success
(Sanskrit siddhi, victory or success)." In fact, it
is not incumbent upon any one to drink draughts of
it on those occasions, but as has been put by Mr.
Kerr in his report, p. 11, "those who do not like
to take it, put a drop of it in their tongue by