42
54. I cannot say, but see last answer.
55. I have not known any case of this sort.
56. Vide reply to question 29.
57. Neither eaten nor drunk in this district.
58. I think it is capable of improvement in the
direction of restriction. At present there are too
many ganja shops. The numbers should be largely
reduced. They should only be established in towns
and really large villages. I would discourage the
use of ganja by these means as much as possible
among the rural population, and only keep suffi-
cient shops to supply the large floating population
of the province, especially the mendicant class,
whose addiction to the use of the drugs we cannot
hope to restrain.
Oral evidence.
Question 1.—I entered the service in November
1872. I have had experience in Behar, Bhagal-
pur, and North-East Bengal, principally Dinaj-
pur.
Question 12.—The hemp plant is found chiefly,
I believe, in the northern parts of the district and
in the high lands of the villages which are or have
been under cultivation. It grows in disused lands
to a great extent. I have never seen it on the
"churs." It is not a forest plant which grows in
jungle or unreclaimed land. I have never seen it
in such lands, though I should not like to say it
does not grow there. The plant is cleared off by
the people who collect it for the wholesale dealers.
I believe there is a good deal of export from this
district. I am told that a good deal of the plant
which is exported from this district, generally for
Calcutta, comes from Purnea. Some may be taken
to Monghyr, where there is a warehouse under
Government supervision for the supply of wholesale
vendors in other districts. I do not know of any
other such warehouse in the province. Our ware-
houses in the Arrah district draw their supply from
the Monghyr warehouse. They say that the ryots
do not make any money out of the wild plant.
They are glad to get it cleared away for nothing
from their lands. I have never heard of any
import of the wild plant from Nepal. The Nepal
State keeps shops along the frontier, at which our
people go and buy the drug for their own use.
What form of the drug they buy I cannot say:
it is probably ganja.
Question 20.—The ganja in Arrah is chiefly
consumed by Brahmans and Rajputs. It is also
taken by other classes of Hindus, specially labour-
ers. The Musalmans are not large consumers.
The figure given in my written answer would
require verification. In any case one-third of the
total population would be more than I meant. The
use is probably not as common among the villagers
as among the town population. Ganja is very
generally consumed by the Kol tribes locally
known as Karwars on the Rhotas plateau.
Question 25.—My statement that the use of the
drugs is on the increase is based on information
gathered in the course of my enquiries. I should
think it was correct, and it relates to the Arrah
district.
Question 35.—In the words "especially just
now" I had the Gaurakshini agitation in mind
most prominently, possibly the opium question
also.
Question 45.—Cases are known where the drug
has produced dementia and homicidal tendency.
I can say that this answer is based on my personal
experience. The cases of insanity I have in mind
are the two cases which went into the Patna
lunatic asylum, and which I have enquired into
and reported on for the Commission. But apart
from these cases I have a general conviction
gathered in the course of my service, but I could
not give any specific instances.
Question 51.—The evidence is generally given,
I think, that the man is living beyond his means
and has to resort to theft to supplement his in-
come. I may have enquired as to the amount
used and the cost to the consumer, but I cannot
recall the fact. I certainly do not do it as a rule.
It is very improbable that it would be tested in
such cases whether the use was moderate or exces-
sive, and the evidence might be called, to use a
native phrase, of a "mamuli" sort. It is a bit of
evidence which I generally disregard I certainly
should not run in a man because he smoked ganja.
Question 53.—Two cases I had in my mind
occurred when I was at Bhagalpur last year.
One came from the Sonthal Parganas, and I learnt
about it when I visited the Jail. The other was
tried by one of my Magistrates in Bhagalpur and
came under my notice as District Magistrate.
In the Bhagalpur case the connection of the hemp
drug with the crime appears on the record. It
occurred about August 1893, in the sub-division of
Supole, and the case was ultimately tried in the
Sessions Court. Regarding the Sonthal Parganas
case, I am not certain whether the hemp drug ap-
peared on the record or whether Dr. Moorhead, who
was in charge of the Jail, formed the opinion that
the man was an habitual ganja smoker. This case
was also tried in the Sessions Court at Bhagalpur.
I cannot remember any other specific cases.
After writing my answers I made enquiries in
the District Magistrate's record room at Arrah,
and the office could not put their hands on any
case during the last five years in which the hemp
drugs were connected with heinous crime.
Question 58.—I have no reason to suppose that
use by the rural population is more injurious than
use by town dwellers. What I have in view is to
leave the habitual consumers who cannot do
without the drug the means of obtaining it, and
to limit the number of shops so far as to remove
temptation from occasional consumers. Towns
and large villages should be selected for shops,
because there are more likely to be a large number
of habitual consumers in such places, and the
people of the surrounding villages go there for
market. There are a good many ganja shops in
small villages at present. I have seen them
in villages of 50 or 60 houses. I have not notic-
ed any evil effects on the population of those
villages, but I advocate the change on general
principles. I do not propose that the location
of shops should follow a hard-and-fast rule. The
circumstances of districts or tracts might require
relaxation of the general rule. I think we could
do with fewer shops, and I have indicated the
principle on which they might be reduced. To
carry the principle too far and ignore the necessity
which exists among the agricultural classes for
the drug would occasion considerable discontent
and would also be likely to lead to illicit con-
sumption. This is more likely to happen where
the spontaneous growth is common. It has also
occurred to me that bhang is less deleterious than
ganja, and that the reduction of the ganja shops
might be compensated by an increase of the bhang
shops. In Arrah there are, I think, 37 bhang
shops distinct from ganja shops. There is no
spontaneous growth to speak of in that district.