101
from Statement A that in Burdwan in the out-
still period the consumption of ganja materially
decreased and with the introduction of distillery
system its consumption increased. The consump¬
tion of excise bhang has increased, but I believe
the actual consumption of this article has de¬
creased. The illicit manufacture at home has
been very much reduced, and people now take
bhang sold at retail shops. Formerly most people
took bhang stored up by them, i.e., by collecting
leaves of wild plants. Consumption of charas has
increased, but its use is restricted to the richer
classes of the towns only. In the whole of
Bengal in 1892-93, 11 maunds 26 seers were sold,
and of this 8 maunds 11 seers in Calcutta alone.
In the interior it is very little taken; in villages
never.
26. Ganja consumers.
Bhang consumers.
(a) 70 per cent.
10 per cent.
(b) 10
" Scarcely any, except
up-country men.
(c) 16 per cent.
80 per cent.
(d) 4
"
10
"
27. (a) Domestic servants, such as cooks,
bearers, waiters, darwans, syces and coachmen,
boatmen, fishermen, cultivators, ordinary day-
labourers, coal-miners, etc.; (b) sanyasis and
fakirs (religious mendicants); (c) some domestic
servants and men of better means; (d) men of
depraved habits of the lower classes who indulge
in excess whenever they have the means to do so.
I know of Brahmins, Khatris, Kayasths, and
Vaidyas, and also better class Muhammadans
smoking it, but their number is indeed very few.
Generally speaking, those whose pursuits cause
much physical strain on them take ganja. To
my knowlege I know of only a very few—in fact
not more than two or three—leading an intellec¬
tual life, taking ganja.
28. Ganja is now sold generally for Rs. 16 to
20 a seer.
The poorer consumers buy one or two pice
worth at a time and not by measurement.
(a) Two pice to an anna a day.
(b) Two annas to four annas a day.
29. With ganja tobacco is used. This is more
for economy. I heard of two or three cases of
smoking dhatura at Gaya. Dhatura seed ground
with siddhi is consumed, but by a very few people.
Dhatura is used to make it more intoxicating.
I may note that dhatura-smoking is considered
good for asthma and this conduces to its use in
some cases of asthma.
Bhang massala is sold in a few of the large
towns. Its ingredients are generally anise, pepper,
dried rose-leaves, and poppy seeds, but it differs
in different places.
30. All these three drugs are generally taken by
the great body of the consumers in company, but
the better classes smoke ganja in solitude, as it is
considered unbecoming for men of better means
to smoke it. Bhang is taken by better classes in
company.
I have no knowledge of charas consumers.
Ganja is consumed almost exclusively by the men.
It is only women of ill-fame and women of the
lower classes, such as mehtars, who take it. Bhang
is taken even by women, but very little. It is
not usual for children to take any of these drugs.
31. Yes, after some time, i.e., when persons
take it for some days together, the habit begins to
be formed. It is difficult for a confirmed habi¬
tual smoker to break off the habit. I know of
only few cases in which the habit once formed
was given up. In case of bhang there is no
tendency for moderate habit to develop into the
excessive. In fact cases of excessive consumption
of bhang are rare, In the case of ganja there is
the risk. I cannot, however, say that the tend¬
ency of the moderate habit is to develop into
the excessive.
32. Bhang is drunk on the last day of Durga
Puja by a large number of Hindus, who do not
drink it usually. It is also largely taken on the
Nowami day and the Lachmi Puja day. It is
regarded by religious people as essential. It is
generally taken in small quantities. Among the
upper classes it is not likely to lead to the forma-
tion of the habit of taking it. Ganja is largely
taken on Chayat Sankranti festivities and Sivratri
days and at the social and eligious ceremonies of
bairagies (Vaishnavs).
38. Ganja is held in disrepute. For men of
means and position it is considered very low and
unbecoming to take it. Public opinion is against
the consumption of ganja. It is considered as a
deleterious drug—injurious to health and intel¬
lectual pursuits. Socially a man who takes
ganja is looked down upon. The term "ganja
smoker" is an epithet often used as expressive of
opprobrium.
In the puja (worship) of Mahadev ganja is
much consumed. In Eastern Bengal in pujas
called Tri Nath mela, Mahadev is worshipped by
a concourse of ganja smokers. In Behar in
bathans (cowsheds in fields) much ganja is con¬
sumed and the god Mahadev is worshipped. In
Monghyr the memory of a sadhu known as Sabs
Babu where his last ceremonies had been observed,
people gather and smoke ganja.
34. I fear the habitual ganja smokers would
consider it a serious privation to forego its use.
I have servants who smoke ganja habitually. One
of them has been now over twelve years with us,
and we have done our best to make him give up the
habit; he also tried to give it up several times, but
failed. I calculate there will be about one and a
half lakhs of habitual ganja smokers in Bengal.
I take it that about 250 people consume a seer of
ganja a day and that about 600 seers are sold a
day in the Bengal Presidency.
35. I do not think it would be at all feasible to
prohibit the use of bhang. It may be possible
considerably to reduce and restrict the use of
ganja by stopping its cultivation and prohibiting
its use, but it would necessitate the maintaining
of an elaborate detective agency. Among the
habitual consumers it would certainly cause dis¬
content, but not amounting to any political danger.
The prohibition is sure to be followed by recourse
to both alcoholic stimulants and opium. It has
been practically conclusively found that when
ganja is not easily procurable people take liquor
or opium.
36. When the outstill system was reintroduced
in Bengal, 1878 to 1889, and liquor was sold very
cheap, many ganja consumers had to my know¬
ledge taken to country liquor. From 1878 and
1879 as well as in subsequent years I made en¬
quiries on the point and learnt of several such cases,
and people said that country spirit was much less in¬
jurious than ganja and the change was good. With
the reintroduction of distillery system from 1889,
and consequent high rise in the price of country
liquor, the consumption of ganja increased, and