14
The memorandum submitted with my letter
No. 404-P., dated 13th January 1894, contains
one possible inaccuracy to which I wish to draw
attention. It states that there is now nowhere in
the Tributary States any shop for the sale of hemp
drugs. A license was given by me a few months
ago, as I have said, to a vendor in the Gangpur
State to import ganja. Of course I cannot de-
finitely say that the shop has been opened yet.
The statement that there are no shops is based on
reports received from the States.
As to Mr. Hewitt's order I am not prepared to
say that the Rajas keep the lists he prescribed.
But I think the spirit of the order is carried out.
I think the Chiefs are very loyal and willing to
do what they are told in regard to such matters.
Speaking generally, my remarks regarding the
use and effects of the drug in its various forms are
based to some extent on personal experience, on
records, on conversations with people, on the
information I acquired as Secretary to the Board
for example, and on enquiries I have made from
persons whom I believed to be able to give me
valuable information. I have seen men smoke
and had them prepare their ganja before me to
show me how they did it. I have also examined
golas and shops. So I am not without experi-
ence. I have also in the rivers of Eastern Bengal
seen the good effects which boatmen and fishermen
attribute to the drugs.
4. Evidence of MR. G. TOYNBE, Commissioner, Bhagalpur Division.
Oral evidence.
Including furlough my total service is 28
years, all in Lower Bengal. Out of that I have
passed about 10 years in Orissa in all the grades
from Assistant Collector to Commissioner. Of
my Bengal service I have been for almost equal
periods in Bengal Proper, Eastern Bengal and
Behar.
I have formed no general opinion of the effects
of the drugs, for the use is not common. As
well as I can judge, the effects of the drugs are
the reverse of favourable. A bearer of mine was
said by his fellow-servants to eat ganja, and the
effect was temporary insanity. He found his
way into the Hughli jail, where he was very
filthy in his habits. I cannot say whether he
went to the asylum from the jail. He left my
service, as he was taken up for theft, and he
became insane in jail after a week or two, I be-
lieve. I conclude that his insanity was due to
ganja, because the servants said he ate it. He
had not to my knowledge been mad before. His
eyes always had a wild look. He had only been
two or three months in my service. My wife
said she was afraid of him on account of his wild
appearance and peculiar manner. He was only
a temporary mate-bearer, and I did not see much
of him. I knew nothing of his previous history.
This is the only specific instance of the evil
effects of the drug which I can give.
As Magistrate and visitor of jails I have
formed the general impression that crimes of
violence are very frequently attributed to the
hemp drugs. This impression is not based on
specific knowledge, but on general reports and
popular rumour.
I do not remember coming across any cases of
ganja consumers except the one I have described,
and in that it was the servants' statement only.
The consumption of ganja has not been a fact
which intruded itself upon me, so that I cannot
point to any person and say he is a consumer. I
have never had persons pointed but to me as
social wrecks from the effects of ganja.
On the other hand I have known several cases
in which I was certain of the use of alcohol, and I
remember for certain dismissing at least one clerk
for repeated intemperance. I think I have dis-
missed more. I have seen many careers among
my clerks wrecked through indulgence in alcohol.
I am only referring to cases of natives, and these
were frequently of good social position. As far
as I have seen, many more cases of evil effects
from alcohol than from hemp have come before
me. The effects of the former seem to be more
on the surface.
The hemp plant is, I believe, universally grown
in the Gurjat Mahals. I have only made one
tour in these tracts, which lasted three months.
I saw the plant growing near houses, but cannot
say whether it was cultivated or had sprung up
of itself. I have never seen it away from the
villages. I could not say for certain whether the
plant is used in the hill tracts. But I have heard
that it is used medicinally in a decoction made
from the plant in the green state. I have never
heard of its being used for cattle. It is sold into
the Mogalbandi. The fact that the plant is
found near the houses, and not found in the jun-
gles, points to its being either cultivated or sprung
from seed thrown aside by consumers. It is not
grown in fields, but five or six plants may be
found in almost every village. This amount of
growth is more than would be required for the
alleged medicinal use, and I doubt if all the drug
is used medicinally. I believe it is collected in
centres and sold into British territory, most pro-
bably by the Rajas or their underlings, certainly
not without the Rajas' consent. I do not think
it is much used by the people themselves. About
three years ago we tried to get the Rajas to agree
to allow the drug to be exported under regular
supervision, and a set of rules was drawn up for
the purpose. These rules must have been subse-
quent to the Bengal Government Resolution No.
E. 1—G./2 4 of 6th September 1889. Some of the
Rajas did adopt the rules, which were an amicable
arrangement between the Rajas and the Superin-
tendent of the Tributary States, and some tem-
porized. These did not say "no," but did not
adopt the rules. These rules were framed in pur-
suance of a policy which Government have no
doubt approved, but, as far as I know, they were
not sanctioned by Government. The origin of this
action was, as I remember, that after the abolition
of prohibition under the orders of September 1889,
the Excise Commissioner complained of the flag-
rant smuggling which was being carried on from
the States into the British territory.
The Excise officers were constantly complaining
of the smuggling, but I could not say the extent
to which it was carried on. The complaints were
never-ceasing.