274
105. Evidence of SURGEON-LIEUTENANT-COLONEL E. G. RUSSELL, Civil Surgeon,
Darjeeling.
1. General observations and some experiments
as to physiological effects.
2. Yes.
3. Kamrup, Assam. Fairly abundant.
4. Bhang.
5. None,
6. Scattered.
7. (a) (b) (c) None that I know of, except
that in Rajshahi District—Abkari—under Go-
vernment supervision.
(d) None.
9. Only cultivated as noted at Question 7—
under Government supervision. Methods well
known.
11. I believe not.
12. No.
13. To Rajshahi District, I believe.
14. Ganja. Rajshahi District.
15. Methods of preparation of excise ganja ob-
tainable from the officers employed locally.
Preparations—
(A). Smoking.—Ganja (cultivated) rubbed up
with a little tobacco or rose leaves.
(B). Bhang (wild plant).—Sweetmeat or con-
fection—with sugar, ghee, flour, milk, musk,
pepper; and sometimes opium, dhatura, or nux-
vomica.
(C). Bhang.—Decoction, with milk, sugar, pep-
per, etc.
16. (b) Yes.
(c) No.
18. Ganja deteriorates; not much used after
twelve months' keeping.
19. Both usually smoked. Ganja sometimes
(rarely) drunk—pounded and mixed with sugar,
rose leaves, etc., as infusion.
21. Flat as containing more active principle-
charas.
23. Rarely, if ever, in Bengal.
26. (a) Ganja-smokers.—Men doing hard work
under exposure, palki-men, etc.
(c) On festive occasions, etc., in Bengal on
Dasera or Bijoya Dasami, it is customary to give
to visitors, friends, etc., bhang in infusion. Many
use this only on such occasions of social festival.
28. (a) Ganja.—15 grains— cost one pice.
Bhang.—8 to 10 grains—cost half a pice.
29. (a) With ganja.—Tobacco.
With bhang.—Sugar, flour, milk, pepper,
ghee.
(b) With bhang.—In form of sweetmeat or
of infusion—dhatura, opium, nux-
vomica.
30. Ganja.—Usually in company, the pipe
being passed round.
Bhang.—In company, on festivals—see ques-
tion 26 (c),
Male sex. No, children do not usually con-
sume.
31. (c) Not much tendency. I have known
persons who have smoked ganja for from fourteen
to sixteen years who have never increased the
quantities taken.
32. See question 26 (c). Temperate. Scarcely
likely to lead to the formation of the habit.
33. Public opinion among the higher classes is
against ordinary consumption.
34. Probably. To many of the classes who do
hard work (physical) under exposure.
35. (b) Probably.
(d) Probably.
(f)
Probably one or other.
38 None in kind. Flat ganja contains more
charas and has, in consequence, more power.
39. Less injurious; in that it does not derange
digestion, and is less open to deleterious admix-
tures.
41. (a) Ganja—Yes.
(b) Ganja—Yes; is ordinarily used for this
purpose.
(c) Ganja—Yes.
(d) Moderate use, while undergoing great
physical exertion under exposure; by carriers of
weights, coolies, palki and duli bearers, etc.
42. (1) Occasional moderate use of ganja
harmless.
(2) Habitual moderate use of ganja com-
paratively harmless. I have known men in good
health and in full exercise of mental and physical
faculties who have so used ganja for from fourteen
to sixteen years.
43. Of ganja—Yes.
44. Of ganja, smoked—
(a) Mental.—In from three to five minutes,
sense of comfort; tiredness, pain, de-
pression relieved; able to eat or to re-
sume labour. After a few whiffs of the
pipe the man is fit to start again re-
freshed. Very widely used for this
purpose and to this extent.
(b) Refreshing; removes the sense of ex-
haustion and depression after exertion or
worry.
(c) No.
(d) Yes.
(e) Yes; by removing feeling of exhaustion
and depression; often used before the
evening meal for this purpose.
(f) One to two hours.
(g) Scarcely; in moderate doses.
(h) No.
45. Of ganja—
(a) (b) Scarcely.
(c) (d) (e) No.
(f) I do not think that moderate use con-
duces to insanity.
46. Excessive use of ganja is reported as a
cause of insanity in records of asylums in India.
These cases are the most curable of those in the
asylums. Mental troubles and want of mental