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when nature does not require it, brings on a sort
of sexual debility which ultimately may end in
complete impotency.
50. When the use is excessive, the consequences,
as shown above, are more sure, rapid and vehe-
ment.
51. Habitual moderate consumers of ganja and
bhang do not always turn out bad characters, so
their proportion is not large.
I do not think that moderate use of these
drugs tends to make the consumers inclined to
criminal acts.
52. The case of excessive use of these drugs is,
however, very different. A man under the in-
fluence of these drugs, when taken very excessively,
as is the case with all other intoxicauts, may per-
petrate any crime, however horrible.
53. Yes. I am not aware of any such instance.
54. Yes; hardened and professional criminals use
these drugs in excess to make themselves proof
against all humane qualities.
55. Yes; criminals sometimes, in order to carry
out their evil designs, induce their victims to
smoke ganja to make them lose their consciousness.
I do not think that any of these drugs in an
unadulterated state can bring on complete stupefac-
tion. Dhatura and other narcotics are generally
used for such purposes.
56. My answer to question 29 will explain
the cause of admixture of tobacco leaf with
ganja.
I do not possess any such information.
57. I have no knowledge as to the eating
or drinking of ganja and charas.
58. On the whole the present system of excise
administration is working well; but for all that
I believe it may admit of a few improvements.
59. I beg to suggest the following as improv-
ments upon the present system of excise adminis-
tration:—
I.—At present the limit assigned by the ex-
cise laws for any person to possess ganja for
his own use is 20 tolas; In my opinion it should
be reduced to 5 tolas. I consider it expedient,
for—
(1) it will increase the Government revenue
because the difference between the pre-
sent limit and the one suggested will be
excisable;
(2) it will check smuggling to some extent.
The present limit of 20 tolas enables a
man to accumulate a large quantity in
a short time, and so facilitates the ways
of smuggling. But should the limit be
narrowed, it would be difficult for a man
to accumulate a quantity in the ganja
season sufficient to give him an oppor-
tunity of illicitly trading in the drug.
II.—Searching with police. Under the present
administration the assistant ganja supervisors
detect smuggling cases with the help of the police.
This, I think, retards the business, inasmuch as—
(1) the police assistants cannot always be
had in time;
(2) the police are sometimes oppressive.
III.—Though it is not in the present excise
law, yet the attention of Government has been
drawn to the question of weighing ganja before
it is stored by the cultivators in their own
golas. I am afraid this will, if enforced, bring
on the following disadvantages:—
(1) There is no denying the fact that a con-
siderable time will elapse between the
weighing of the drug by the Government
and its sale. It is very natural that the
weight will get reduced in this long in-
terval on account of atmospheric influ-
ences and the damages caused by rats
and such other animals. But for this
unavoidable loss of weight; provision
may be made by making certain allow-
ance for the above causes. But I am
of opinion that such allowance will be
inexpedient for the following reasons:—
There is no knowing what will be the
actual loss of weight, so the allowance
made will inevitably be either more or
less than the actual loss. Now if it be
more, the Government will only afford
the cultivators an opportunity for carry-
ing on smuggling; but should it happen
to be less, the innocent cultivators will
be made liable to punishment without
any offence on their part. I think I
will not be supposed to be dreaming
if I beg to say that the cultivators
of hemp may, after they have been
made to suffer bitterly for no offence,
be forced to give up the cultivation alto-
gether. The temptation of ganja cul-
tivation is not such that the cultivators
will persuade themselves to carry it on
under all disadvantages and hardships.
The net profit arising out of the cul-
tivation of other crops, such as potatoes,
sugarcane, turmeric, chilli, etc., is no
way less than that yielded by ganja.
(2) It means also additional expenditure on
the part of Government; for there will
be necessity of employing a larger
number of officers than the present
staff to carry out this scheme. The
present staff will not be sufficient to
weigh ganja stored in the houses of
several cultivators.
IV.—The attention of the Government has
also been drawn to the question of enforcing
the storing of ganja in Government depôts.
I think, this, if enforced, will subject the cul-
tivators to two inconveniences, viz.:—
(1) The cultivators will lose much time
in travelling from their homes to the
Government golas simply to show the
article to the intending purchasers every
time they turn up; and it will also make
the purchasers lose much time. There
are some cultivators who, as soon as the
ganja crop is over, begin to earn their
livelihood as day labourers. For such
persons this journey, which may some-
times prove quite fruitless, means star-
vation of the impecunious mouths de-
pending upon them.
(2) The poor cultivators will be quite un-
necessarily made to incur expenses to
convey the drug from the field to the
Government depôts at a distance of ten
or twelve miles.
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