358
146. Evidence of BASSUNTO KUMAR ROY, Zamindar and Medical Practitioner,
24-Parganas.
1. (a) My professional knowledge as a medical
practitioner. (b) Zamindar.
14. They are not prepared in this country.
19. Ganja is used for smoking and for the pre-
paration of some quack nostrums.
20. The lowest classes generally and a small
minority of higher class people use ganja.
24. People of all classes, majority of them being
of the lowest class.
30. Ganja and charas are consumed in solitude.
Males generally use them; children never take
them.
31. (a) Yes.
(b) No.
(c) That is the case with every intoxicating
thing.
32. Devotees (mahants) as a class generally
consume ganja and bhang. Devotees consider
them essential for the preservation of their health.
Their habits are temperate, and are not other-
wise injurious to them.
35. The use of charas should be prohibited and
that of ganja and bhang restricted by some legis-
lative enactment. This procedure would neither
produce any serious discontent nor cause any poli-
tical danger.
40. Yes, bhang is used by kabirajes for their
astringent pills for digestion. Tincture of Indian
hemp is used for several diseases in the old school
of medicines.
41. (a) Bhang is used as a digestive, and under
certain circumstances of fatigue to overcome the
exhaustion.
(c) As a febrifuge and digestive bhang is used
by kabirajes. Tincture of Indian hemp is also
said to possess anti-periodic properties, but is less
used than opium.
65. (a) Taxation upon charas should be greater
than that of ganja and bhang.
(b) Alcohol being more detrimental to the
health of the public than bhang, the tax upon
bhang should be lowest of all.
68. Yes, there are houses for this purpose.
147. Evidence of GURU CHARAN GHOSH, Medical Practitioner, Monghyr.
1. My twenty years' experience as a medical
practitioner enables me to form an opinion regard-
ing the matters connected with hemp drugs.
2. Yes. Charas, ganja, and bhang or siddhi.
19. Ganja and charas are only used for smok-
ing.
23. I have never witnessed bhang or siddhi
used in smoking, but it is heard it is used in
Bengal and Behar amongst the middle class of
the people.
28. Not known to me.
29. Black pepper is ordinarily mixed with
siddhi, and tobacco with ganja and charas. I
have experienced dhatura mixed with bhang in
strengthening intoxication. Yes; cucumber seed,
rose leaf, black pepper, aniseed, cardamom, cinna-
mon, are the ingredients known to me for the pre-
paration of bhang.
30. The consumption of these drugs is prac-
tised generally in company and seldom in solitude.
It is mainly confined to the male sex and to all
stages of life. Yes, children of bad character
consume these drugs.
31. (a) Yes, it is easily formed.
(b) No, it is not difficult to break off.
(c) Yes.
32. The consumption of these drugs is not in
fact essential to the observance of social or reli-
gious customs, but the illiterate and ascetic class
of men use them as an auxiliary to their religious
contemplation. It is generally excessive. Yes,
it leads to the formation of habit as well as
proves injurious.
36. Yes; alcohol is to a certain extent substi-
tuted for these drugs.
The reason for this change is attributed to the
fact that it is more fashionable.
My own experience is the proof of this change.
37. The result of ganja-smoking differs from
charas in this, that the former is more strong and
active in its action than the latter, but both at
the end bring on a disorder of the brain. On the
other hand, bhang is a little mild in its effects and
irritates the stomach.
39. Yes, the reason for this being that in eat-
ing or drinking it comes in contact with blood
and thus produces a baneful effect on the consti-
tution. But smoking is rather supposed to do
more mischief to the brain than eating or drink-
ing, and is therefore more incentive towards pro-
ducing insanity.
40. (a) Yes.
(b) I have no experience in the treatment of
cattle disease.
41. Yes.
(a) As a food accessory or digestive.
(b) Yes.
(c) Yes; as a febrifuge and preventive.
44. The immediate effect of the moderate use
of any of these drugs on the habitual consumer is
certainly refreshing. It produces a little intoxi-
cation, creates appetite, and its effects last for a
couple of hours or so. There are no after-effects.
The want of subsequent gratification produces a
little longing and uneasiness.
45. (a) to (e) No.
(f) No. The moderate use of any of these
drugs has not appeared to me to be the exciting
cause of the insanity.
46. In many cases known to my experience it
has appeared to me that the habitual excessive use
of these drugs, especially ganja, has been the
exciting cause of insanity and has also produced
all the diseases mentioned in paragraph 45, such
as dysentery, asthma, etc.
47. No, not at all.