466
48. Excessive use of ganja destroys both body
and mind. Excessive use of opium impairs the
digestive organs, and finally the man dies of
dysentery. The immoderate use of the best medicine
yet discovered by man—quinine—leads to disastrous
results. Habitual moderate use is good. As I
have said, the tone of the constitution remains
always the same. That man is an enemy to the
human race who would abolish moderate habitual
use of ganja and opium, and drive people to have
recourse to that terrible thing, alcohol, or to no
less terrible things, dhatura and strychnine, al-
though these in small doses are used as good
medicine.
49. Bhang is used as an aphrodisiac, as I have
already observed. Opium enables the seed to hold
on longer, and licentious men often use it for this
effect. Prostitutes dread such people, and charge
an opium taker and guli smoker higher. They
themselves do not use it to carry on their profes-
sions. Ganja and bhang (liquid) are not used as
such. As aphrodisiac, bhang is administered by
physicians. The use of hemp does not tend to
produce impotence, though, like alcohol, it would
impair nerve power if taken to excess.
50. Opium smokers gradually lose the virile
powers; but, as a rule, it does not produce total
impotence. Ganja smoking has seldom this effect,
so far my observations go. In this country many
young men lose the power on account of drinking
alcohol. Indian physicians prescribe a little
opium and madak in such cases. A preparation
of ganja in the form of sweetmeat (barfi) is also
taken as an aphrodisiac. Majum is sometimes used
as such, but mostly by up-country men, specially
Lucknow Musalmans.
51. Badmashes avoid opium, lest while in jail,
they may suffer. But, as a rule, they are ganja
smokers. Dacoits and burglars invariably smoke
ganja immediately before commencing operations.
It has a religious character then. Siva, the
husband of Kali, the goddess who protects scoun-
dreldom, is invoked. There is no connection of
these drugs with crime.
Gulikhores are pilferers. They get lazy and
unfit for labour. Then they steal. Of course it
is the poor gulikhores who are thieves.
53. No. As a criminal lawyer and the public
prosecutor for thirteen years, I never came across
such an instance. Running amuck can't be
attributed to any of these drugs, though the
criminal may fortify himself with a cup of bhang.
But it is a curious fact that excessive use of opium
has a ludicrous effect on some Muhammadans.
They are under illusion, and become excessively
timid.
54. No; but as I have said, ganja is used to
propitiate Siva and his wife, Kali.
55. No. There can't be complete stupefaction
unless dhatura seed be mixed. But this is seldom
done. All my experience goes to show that
powder of dhatura seed is surreptitiously mixed
with the food of the victim.
56. Ganja is taken with tobacco leaf, charas
with prepared tobacco. Fakirs and sanyasis some-
times put in a seed or two of dhatura to make the
ganja stronger. But ordinarily neither they nor
the lay consumers use dhatura.
57. Charas is not drunk. I never heard of it.
Ganja is sometimes thrown in cups in which the
pods of opium are soaked. This is a preparation
used by Rajputs. A little ganja is occasionally
mixed with bhang, but this is rare. It is done when
the leaves appear to have lost their strength, and
not otherwise. The effect is always the same, only
the mixture is a little stronger. The opium in-
fusion of the Rajput loses its flavour (as they say)
if ganja be used. They do it as a matter of
economy when guests are in the house. In dis-
tricts where opium is grown they keep the pods
after the opium has been extracted, put them in
water, and drink it.
58. It is working very well. Government have
done all that is required.
59. I cannot propose any thing new, although
as a newspaper editor of 33 years' standing, I
have been compelled to study abkari literature, as
well as the numberless trash circulated by the
anti-opiumists, who do not know what they are
about, but dare teach our Government on a matter
when Government do not require any instruction.
60. There is sufficient control. The only pro-
posal I wish to make, and that for the purposes of
revenue, is to reduce the duty both on ganja and
opium that is consumed in the country. People
must use them. If the law puts it beyond the
power of the ordinary man to buy it, he must
purchase stolen opium, and secretly cultivate the
hemp plant. This is done. Only a very small
portion of the contraband articles are detected by
our preventive officers. The police connive at it;
they are the only gainers. But the public treasury
suffers.
61. Charas is not cultivated in my province.
Here again high duty is doing its work. Almost
every man coming from Nepal brings charas,
which he clandestinely disposes of. Sentiment in
these matters is unadulterated nonsense.
62. I have nothing more to add. Lessen the
duty, I repeat.
63. I have no objection. The objections I
have seen in parliamentary speeches and tracts are
sentimental, and raised by people who do not
know anything about these matters and the diffi-
culties of our Government.
64. No.
65. I think I have sufficiently indicated my
views about this matter. After giving my close
attention to it my deliberate opinion is this
Reduce the duty on country liquor, so that a
bottle may not cost more than ten annas. Reduce
the duty on ganja, so that one pice worth of it may
serve for at least four smokes. Ditto as regards
charas. The price of opium varies in different dis-
tricts: 21/2 tolas in Calcutta, 2 tolas at Madhopur,
41/2 at Patna. This is courting illicit manufacture
and smuggling. Half of the liquors sold in Cal-
cutta shops are contraband.
66. No.
67. I have given my views above. It is bad
financing which leads to illicit manufacture and
smuggling. One must throw sentiments to the
windows; look facts as facts; have regard for
our revenue; do nothing by which dealers
may be induced to bribe the police and the
preventives as is now done. Money is offered.
How many men can resist the temptation ? Our
Government should without ceremony tell the
faddists of England to mind their own business
and devote their superabundant philanthropy to
the myriads of drunkards and wife-beaters at
home and not trouble a Government who know
their people and whose people know them. Prac-
tical statesmanship our Government know, and if
any suggestion should be made, it must come from
us, the people.