439
51. It is the current belief that the criminal
classes take these drugs to get temporary artificial
energy, and relief from thought and fear.
53. It makes men exceedingly irritable, and
thus liable to commit hasty and serious crime.
54. Yes.
55. Yes, in many cases.
Usually dhatura would be mixed with siddhi or
ganja; but these drugs by themselves are sufficient
and speedy in action upon those not accustomed
to them.
56. Made very terrible by admixture with
dhatura. Not usually mixed with other drugs.
Not used for personal consumption; a fear lest it
should kill. But used by criminals to stupefy
others.
57. Never heard of these being eaten or drunk.
It is siddhi that is drunk.
58. I should like to see the cultivation and sale
stopped entirely. I believe that these drugs are
simply demoralizing. If Government stopped
its own cultivation, it would not be very difficult
to control illicit cultivation. The wild plant is
not much to be dreaded in comparison with the
properly cultivated ganja.
69. I never heard of such consultation.
Certainly.
Written Statement put in by the REVD. Mr. PHILLIPS.
1. Opportunities of getting
information.—From
December 1875, with one interval of furlough, I
have resided in Bengal. During the first 15 years
my chief work was itinerating in the Murshidabad
District. I thus moved freely among all classes of
the people and conversed with them in their own
language. I also had good opportunities for see-
ing their hemp drug shop scattered over towns and
villages.
2. I purpose giving such information as I have
gathered under the following heads:—
(a) Consumers of ganja.
(b) Purposes for which consumed.
(c) Mode of consumption.
(d) Effects of consumption.
(e) Particular instances.
(f) Extent of consumption.
(a) Consumers of ganja.—(1) Most largely
the agricultural and other labouring
classes; (2) to some extent carpenters,
darzies, and other artizans; (3) very large-
ly Muhammadans of various classes;
(4) almost invariably religious mendi-
cants; (5) wandering musicians; (6) to a
large extent the criminal classes of all
shades; (7) some among the middle and
upper classes of society.
(b) Purpose for which consumed.—(1) Intoxi-
cation. To sit down with the deliberate
intention of seeking intoxication is not
much seen in the West; but in India it
is a marked feature in the habits of
some of the lower orders of the people.
To such people ganja offers two special
attractions: first, it is the cheapest subs-
tance by which they can bring on intoxica-
tion; secondly, it is very speedy in its
effects. It is thus fitted to do the greatest
mischief among the very classes that can
least afford to come under its baneful in-
fluence. (2) Exciting lustful passion.
Among Muhammadans especially ganja
is largely smoked with this end in
view. It stimulates the animal pas-
sions. It thus saps their strength in
two ways: first, by its own effects upon
body and brain; and, secondly, by caus-
ing unnatural waste. (3) To make
daring and reckless in view of crime
or suffering. This purpose for using
ganja is confined mostly to the crimi-
nal and devotee classes.
(c) Mode of consumption.— (1) Usually
smoked in a small-sized huka; (2)
three parts of ganja are mixed with
one part of dry tobacco leaf: (3) the
ganja is first put in the palm of the
hand with a little water and rubbed
by the thumb; then the tobacco is added
and rubbed in. The intoxicating power
of the drug increases according to the
amount of rubbing it gets.
(d) Effects of smoking ganja.—(1) The body
seems to dry up; (2) the body gets
very weak, so that a man falls with a
slight push; (3) greatly affects the
lungs and brings on bronchitis; (4) great-
ly excites lust; (5) eyes become dull and
bloodshot, (6) mind gets full of horrible
imaginations. (I am told that this is a
very strikng and terrible effect of a con-
tinued use of ganja); (7) the mind
becomes dull and listless, so that a man's
power of earning a livelihood grows less
and less; (8) insanity. It was in 1876
that my attention was first called to
this effect of ganja smoking. The Sup-
erintendent of the Calcutta Lunatic
Asylum pointed out to me a crowd of
100 men who had all lost their reason
through this evil habit. At the time I
was too new in the country to take in
the full significance of the fact; but it
struck me very much, and has often
since, in the light of other facts, formed
a painful subject of reflection. In Mur-
shidabad District Lunatic Asylum in
1890 I also found 51 ganja victims,
and was further told that an average of
12 every year enter from the same cause.
(9) Early death. The people say that
ganja-smoking makes the blood black
and brings on bloody evacuations and
early death.
(e) Particular instances.—(1) At Azimganj
I
once found a respectable man of
middle age raving and acting in an ex-
traordinary manner in the public road.
The explanation was that he had been
taking ganja as a remedy prescribed by
a devotee for getting rid of an uneasy
conscience. (2) In the same place a
young man whom I knew lost his reason
twice from this habit, and was confined
in the asylum. (3) A respectable young
man whose case came under my notice
had his reason entirely wrecked, and ganja
smoking was one of the great causes.
(4) A young man in Calcutta, son of a
wealthy zamindar, brought himself by