57
as manure. Milk is poured upon the plant in the
belief that it causes flowering.
10. No; the persons who thus cultivate the wild
bhang do not form a special class.
11. It is believed that the plants cultivated for
the production of ganja are never raised from the
seed of the wild hemp.
12. See answer to question 7. Such cases are
not common in this district, and are not confined
to any particular locality. The male plant is not
extirpated in such cases, as the cultivator here
cannot distinguish between male and female
plants.
13. Babu Hem Chandra Kerr's report may be
referred to for an answer to this question.
14. (a) Very seldom.
(b) Never.
(c) Bhang is generally prepared in this district
from the wild hemp.
15. The bhang from the wild plant is usually
prepared by letting the branches or leaves dry in
the sun and then storing these up. A more
costly method of preparation is boiling the leaves
with milk and water. The leaves are afterwards
dried in the sun and stored. This practice is re-
sorted to by few only.
In rare instances the dried leaves are smoked
when sometimes they are mixed with ganja.
Bhang is commonly drunk. The drink is prepar-
ed by grinding the bhang leaves with bhang mas-
sala, a compound consisting of the following in-
gredients, and by making a dilution of the paste:
—Coriander, black-pepper, salt, sugar, cucumber
seed, kahu, kasni, gokkhur kánta, aniseed, poppy-
seeds, rose petal, dhatura roots.
The latter is sometimes made into pills and
eaten or swallowed with water. To add to its
flavour, rose-water or attar, cocoanut water, or
the juice of its kernel are blended with the mix-
ture.
Ganja is smoked with tobacco leaves. Ganja
is sometimes added as a remedy against coughing.
16. (a) Bhang is generally prepared by the
people in their houses.
(b) Yes.
(c) No. As far as is known here.
17. By all classes of people the preparation of
bhang is made. The lower classes specially use
it for medicinal purposes. The higher classes use
it for intoxication and benefit of health. There
is an adage that siddhi increases budhi (intelli-
gence).
18. These drugs deteriorate by keeping, and
lose their effect in time. Ganja keeps for 2 years;
charas for one year; and bhang one year. The
cause of deterioration of ganja and charas is the
drying of the resinous substance. Bhang is liable
to be eaten by worms. To prevent rapid deteri-
oration, ganja should be packed with straws and
kept in gunny bags in dry warehouses.
19. Yes; though in very rare cases ganja is
eaten by chewing after stripping it of leaves.
Majum is prepared both from ganja or bhang,
which is mixed with ghee (and sometimes milk)
and sugar. The confection thus made is eaten
as a sweetmeat. Charas is exclusively used for
smoking.
20. About 60,000 of the total district population
(2,420,394) smoke ganja. With but a very few
exceptions, they are males, and belong to all classes
of people. The majority of the consumers are
tradesmen, labourers, fishermen, Baishnabs, Baul,
sanyasis, or recluses. The Muhammadans form a
minor portion, say one-fourth of the total number
of consumers.
About 10,000 people use bhang. They belong
to all classes. Many take it as a medicine in bowel
complaints and some as a prophylactic in cholera
epidemic.
The use of charas is confined to a very limited
section of the people in the town. The number of
consumers is estimated to be only 100 persons.
21. Flat ganja is preferred for smoking. It is
said that it possesses more narcotic properties than
the other two varieties.
22. Charas is imported from Calcutta.
23. The poorest consumers who cannot afford
to pay for ganja regularly, occasionally smoke
bhang.
24. See answer to question 20.
25. The use of ganja is on the increase in con-
sequence of the enhanced price of country spirit.
Several drinkers who cannot afford to pay for the
liquor have taken to ganja. The allowance of
each consumer has, however, been decreased owing
to the increased price of the drug and of food-
grains. The consumption of charas has been
almost stationary, and that of bhang has decreased
in consequence of the action taken in destroying
the wild bhang plants.
26.
Ganja.
Charas.
Bhang.
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
(a)
70
80
50
(b)
10
5
5
(c)
15
10
45
(d)
5
5
5
so far as this district is concerned.
27. The habitual moderate consumers of ganja
are the tradesmen, labourers, cultivators, fisher-
men, and the higher classes (bhadra lokes). Byra-
gis, Bauls, sanyasis are usually habitual excessive
consumers. Occasional moderate and excessive
consumers are taken from those classes. At fes-
tive gatherings, such as those at Trinath mêla,
persons take ganja in moderate quantity. The
habitual excessive consumers of bhang are gener-
ally up-countrymen. On the occasion of festi-
vals, such as Daserah, Goraknath Puja, Madan
Chaturdasi, bhang is consumed in moderate and
excessive quantities among the Hindu communi-
ties.
The labouring classes generally resort to the
smoking of ganja as a sedative after hard work—
the hard labour they have to perform in the sun
or water. The habit is also contracted by asso-
ciating with the ganja smokers.
28. Ganja—
Allowance.
Cost per diem.
(a) 1/2 to 1 anna weight
11/2 pies to 4 pies.
(b) 2 annas to 8 annas
71/2 pies to 2 annas 6 pies.
Charas—
(a) 1/2 anna
3 pies.
(b) 1 anna
6 pies.
Bhang-
(a) 4 annas
11/2
pies.
(b) 1 tola
6 pies.
29. Ganja is ordinarily mixed with tobacco
leaves and exceptionally mixed with bhang,
ginger, opium, charas, dhatura seeds, sandalwood,
chilly seeds, milk, curd, rosewater, and attar. The
object of this admixture is to heighten the intoxi-
cating power or to add flavour.
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