123
Ganja-smoking is held more disreputable than
bhang-drinking, and a "habitual smoker of
ganja" is a term of abuse in Uriya.
34. For the habitual smoker or drinker, the
prohibition would be a serious privation for several
days. This is due to the force of habit, parti¬
cularly habits in intoxicating drugs. For number
see answers to questions 20 and 24.
35. In Orissa, Gurjat ganja was prohibited for
nearly ten years, and numerous persons were con¬
victed, often heavily punished. But still the use
of the drug could not be rooted out. Illicit im¬
portation was frequent, and is still going on from
the adjoining Tributary States. If the use of the
drugs be prohibited, and a sufficient staff be kept
for watching, the occasional consumers mostly,
and the habitual consumers largely, will give
up the habit. The staff will have to watch chiefly
along the western frontiers of Orissa. The prohi¬
bition would give rise to much discontent, but I
do not think it would lead to any political danger.
The bulk of the habitual ganja-smokers and drink¬
ers are not in so good repute as to move the
general people. The prohibition may lead, in
several cases, to the adoption of opium, but not
certainly to alcoholic stimulants.
36. No; on the other hand, the high price of
distillery liquors, and the rising price of toddy,
have led several consumers to have recourse to
ganja and opium; the lower classes using ganja,
and the upper classes, opium. I noticed this parti¬
cularly in Puri District.
37. I speak with some diffidence on the questions
of this chapter. I am a layman and cannot speak
so fully and correctly as a medical expert.
40. Yes; a horse, after a bath, is sometimes
given a pill consisting of patti, turmeric and
molasses.
41. (a) Bhang in moderate quantities is diges¬
tive, acting as a cooling beverage in summer
(b) Both bhang and ganja-smoking alleviate
fatigue; ganja-smoking generally deadens the
sensibilities, and thus enables a man to bear cold
or heat, or to do hard continuous work for a time.
(c) In Puri and the adjoining saliferous tracts
bhang is believed to prevent the formation of
mucus and dysentery.
For the reasons (a) and (c) the Sebak Brahmins
drink bhang. For the reasons in (b), bearers, boat¬
men and agriculturists smoke ganja.
I refer to moderate occasional use, except that
in (c) moderate habitual use is believed to act as
preventive of dysentery and diarrhœa.
43. Generally so; ganja-smoking often leads
to an irritable temper, and the smoker is said to
have an irritable temper.
44. Bhang.—Intoxicating, creates appetite, lasts
from one to twelve hours according to constitu¬
tion and quantity taken. The after-effects are
uneasiness, and redness of the eyes.
Ganja smoking.—Refreshes after fatigue, in¬
toxicates, takes away hunger, lasts for one-half to
three hours. The after-effects are redness of the
eyes and looseness of the bowels. After the intoxi¬
cation is over, the mind has a craving for fresh
drink or fresh ganja; and if not gratified, feels
pain and uneasiness.
45. (a) Yes; so far as I know.
(c), (d) and (e). Ganja-smoking causes gradually
a loss of appetite with dysentery. It certainly
impairs the moral sense.
(f) This is difficult to state. The general
belief is that ganja-smoking produces insanity.
But I do not know personally of any case in which
insanity has been so caused.
Bhang-drinking is much less injurious than
ganja-smoking. Habitually taken, it injures
digestion, and induces laziness; often it leads to
habits of immorality.
46. All the above effects are intensified in the
case of habitually excessive consumers.
49. Yes; bhang-drinking. Native physicians
use patti in pills, meant for use as aphrodisiacs.
58. The policy of "minimum of consumption
and maximum of revenue" adopted by the Excise
Department of Bengal is working well. The ar¬
rangements are not, however, so perfect as to be
incapable of further improvement.
59. For my suggestions, see appendix paper (B).
Appendix paper.
(A)
CHAPTER V, QUESTIONS 25 AND 32.
The general impression is that ganja was used
as drug from time immemorial. To verify this
I have looked up old Sanskrit works, and asked
several Pundits to assist me. I could not find
any mention of hemp as drug in any of the Vedic
treatises at hand. Charak and Susruta are the
oldest writers on Hindu medicines, whose treatises
have come up to this date. I could not find any
trace of ganja in the works of either. Dr. Watt
in his recent dictionary makes a quotation in which
Susruta is described as having prescribed ganja for
affections of phlegm. But as neither the chapter
nor verse is quoted therein, I am unable to test its
accuracy.
The earliest mention of ganja as a drug is to be
found in the Tantrik works. Ganja is there
known as samvidya or vijaya. The Tantras
prescribe two ceremonies, samvidya prakarana and
vijaya-dhuma-panam. While describing them,
the works give several details about the prepara¬
tions and effects of ganja which may prove
interesting to outsiders.
Translation—
Flowers (of hemp) are of four kinds: white,
blood red, black and yellow. The white flower
is the Brahmin woman; red, Kshattriya woman;
yellow, Vaisya woman; and black, the Sudra
woman. Gather the leaves (of ganja) carefully
with seeds, fry them in ghi (clarified butter),
powder the same on stones; then take trikatu
(sunth, peepulli and marich), triphala (haritaki,
bayera and amalaki), sringgi, kudha, dhane,
saindhab salt, sati, the leaf of talis, katuka,
nageswar, two kinds of juani (juani and agamoda),
methi and two kinds of jira (jira and black jira);
all these in equal quantities take, dry in the sun,
and then powder; mix the powder of the ganja
with this powder in a golden vessel, and then
holding the hands over the mixture, consecrate
the same with the following four mantras.
(Here follow the mantras).
For the effects of the drug when taken in mix¬
ture, the following will suffice:—
Translation—
With milk, water, ghi, honey products (such
as honey, wine, etc.), saindhab salt, sugar or
molasses, or with ripe sweet fruits, such as
T2