86
but it must be very considerable. Gurjat ganja
is admitted on payment of a lower duty than
Rajshahi round ganja. Patti is also admitted.
A good deal of ganja is also smuggled into the
three regulation districts of the province from
the Gurjats and Madras.
15. The hemp heads are cut on the seeds ripen¬
ing in November. The heads are tied in small
bundles and sprinkled with lime-water, and then
alternately buried and exposed to the sun for two
or three months, when the ganja is fit for use.
In the Tributary States of Barambu and Nar-
singhpur ganja is not buried, but is first dried in
small bundles and then pressed.
The flower heads only are used for smoking
and called "kali ganja." The leaves, when dry,
are steeped or boiled in water or milk; the water
or milk in which they are steeped or boiled is
thrown away, and the leaves ground up with
black pepper and spices, such as cloves and car¬
damoms, mixed with water, sometimes sweetened,
and made into a drink called bhang. Prepared
by first boiling in milk the bhang is said to be
cooling (thanda), but if boiled in water it is said
to retain its heating (garam) or intoxicating pro¬
perties.
16. (a) and (b) Yes.
(c) I have never seen the wild plant.
17. All classes.
18. Ganja, if not well kept, gets mouldy and
loses flavour, but it is said to get stronger by
keeping. Bhang will not keep. I know nothing
of charas. Damp, fermentation and insects are
the main causes of deterioration of ganja. The
ganja should be kept in a very dry and airy place
and occasionally exposed to the sun. It will keep
good with care for two or three years.
19. Ganja is used only for smoking, except in
rare cases, when some persons mix a little ganja
with their bhang. I know nothing of charas.
Ganja is also used in medicine.
20. All classes smoke ganja all over Orissa.
Charas is not used in Orissa.
21. The Rajshahi or round ganja is preferred
for smoking by regular consumers as being stron¬
ger than the local Gurjat flat ganja. Chur is not
different; it is merely the flowers detached from
their stalks, and before it can be smoked all ganja
becomes chur or broken, as with tea and broken
tea; the articles are not really different.
22. No charas is imported into Orissa, so far
as I am aware.
23. No.
24. All classes. Can't give proportion, pro¬
bably as high as 20 per cent. of the males and 5
per cent. of the females. About 100 per cent. of
priests and attendants of temples and of Vishnu-
vite ascetics take bhang.
25. The use of ganja is said to be on the in¬
crease; also of bhang. Can't give reasons, ex¬
cept that the existence of so many ganja shops
must have a tendency to attract consumers and
increase the consumption.
26. No data to go upon.
27. All classes. I can't say what in each case
are the habits of life or other circumstances which
lead to the habit of smoking ganja or taking
bhang.
28. (a) From pies 3 to 6.
(b) From annas 2 to 8 or more.
29. For smoking, tobacco is usually mixed
with ganja. Dhatura seeds are sometimes mixed
with bhang, especially by ascetics, to make the
mixture extremely intoxicating.
Bhang massala is sold in the bazars, and is
usually made up of black pepper, cardamoms,
nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, anise, carraway,
poppy seeds, and flowers of the nageswar (Messna
ferrea).
30. Ganja and bhang are consumed both in
company and in private, and the consumption of
ganja is mainly confined to the male sex. Wo¬
men occasionally take bhang as a cooling and
digestive draught. It is not usual for children to
take either ganja or bhang except when prescribed
medicinally.
31. The habit is easily formed and difficult to
break off suddenly. There is a great tendency
for moderate consumers to develop into excessive
consumers both of ganja and bhang.
32. I do not know of any.
33. The smoking of ganja is looked upon with
disfavour as bad for the health and pocket and
as leading to crime. No worship of the hemp
plant is known in Orissa. The taking of bhang
in moderation is not so injurious as the smoking
of ganja, and is not so much objected to. The
word "ganjari," smoker of ganja, is used as a
term of abuse.
34. Regular smokers of ganja and takers of
bhang would, of course, feel it as a serious pri¬
vation to forego the consumption of the drugs.
I can give no figures.
35. As the hemp plant can only be cultivated
openly, and as ganja and "patti" are bulky
products, there would be no great difficulty in
forbidding production or preventing smuggling.
The task would be easier than in the case of salt.
Consumers would no doubt be seriously discon¬
tented, and would probably revert to some other
form of drug. I do not think that the discon¬
tent would amount to any serious political danger.
36. No.
37. Charas smoking is not practised in this
province.
38. Rajshahi or round ganja is stronger and
more intoxicating and more heating than Gurjat
or flat ganja. Chur may be of either sort, and,
as being the actual flowers and buds, is stronger
than round or flat ganja.
39. Smoking ganja is notoriously more in¬
jurious than drinking bhang. I allude to the
regular habit and not to occasional use.
40. All native physicians use hemp in the pre¬
paration of mudak, carminative digestive tonics.
The use of ganja, etc., does not appear to be
known here in the treatment of cattle diseases.
41. (a). Yes.
(b) Yes.
(c) Yes.
(d) Also as a sedative.
All classes. I cannot give any figures, and I
only refer to the very moderate use of these
drugs.
42. Included in 41.
43. They are usually inoffensive.
44. Refreshing and sedative, not visibly intoxi¬
cating. It is said to allay hunger for the time,
but after the effects have worn off, say in one or
two hours, the appetite is said to be improved.