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40. Bhang is used by the native physicians
(kabirajes) in several of their medicines, but ganja
and charas are never so used. Bhang also forms
an ingredient in some of the medicines used in the
treatment of cattle.
41. (a) The moderate use of one or other of
these drugs may excite cravings for food, especially
sweets, which, if satisfied unchecked, often bring
on indigestion.
(b) They give staying-power, etc., to those
only who are habituated to their use.
(c) I do not believe they act as febrifuge or
preventive of disease in malarious or unhealthy
tracts.
42. I consider moderate use of any of these
drugs (excepting perhaps bhang) to be harmful,
inasmuch as moderate use often ultimately cul-
minates into excessive use.
44. The immediate effect of moderate use on
habitual consumers is intoxication. It may be
refreshing. It does not allay, but on the contrary
creates, appetite, which, in my opinion, is spurious
and unnatural. Effect usually lasts from three
to four hours. The after-effect is more or less
depression. I do not think want of subsequent
gratification produces any longing or uneasiness
in moderate consumers.
45. I do not think habitual moderate use of
bhang produces any noxious effect, physical, men-
tal or moral. But this cannot be said of either
ganja or charas, the moderate use of either of
which may often develop into the excessive.
Unless so developed, the moderate use of ganja or
charas does not appear to exert any material in-
fluence on the constitution or injure digestion, etc.
Insanity often results from excessive and not from
moderate use, and where such is the case, hemp
drugs appear to me to be the exciting and not the
predisposing cause. The insanity is not always
of the same type and is often temporary and may
be re-induced by the use of the drug.
46. I have known of several cases where persons
became insane through excessive use of ganja.
In fact, excessive use of either ganja or charas
may lead to all the evils enumerated in the previ-
ous question.
47. The habit, in many cases, is certainly
hereditary; and when children take to the habit,
the effect undoubtedly is injurious.
48. The habit of excessive use is also some-
times hereditary. There is tendency in a son to
imitate his father in this as in other matters;
and when this does occur, the effect is really
dangerous. I have known cases where children
have been so infected.
49. Not unfrequently hemp drugs are used
by men as aphrodisiacs. Prostitutes use them
with a view to deaden their conscience and forget
the miserable state of their existence. I cannot
say when its use is more injurious—I mean whether
as an aphrodisiac or narcotic. I have not seen
moderate use leading to impotence.
50. Excessive use of hemp, it appears to me,
is more a depressant than otherwise to the sexual
organs. It is for its narcotic quality alone that
it is so used. Sexual impotence invariably results
from abuse of these drugs. By the word hemp I
mean ganja, bhang and charas.
In conclusion, I have no further information
to supply. My personal opinion on the matter
in question is that since it would not be feasible
perhaps to suppress them entirely, Government
should adopt some such measure as would prove
an effectual check to the excessive use of these
drugs.
137. Evidence of KEDARESWAR ACHARJYA, Brahmin, Medical Practitioner,
Rampur Boalia.
1. I know several of my relatives who habit-
ually smoke ganja; one of them lives with me
even now. Besides, I had lot of servants who were
so accustomed. During the course of my profes-
sional business also I have come across with men
who habitually smoke ganja; I know men, partly
well-to-do in circumstances, who are veteran
ganja-smokers, being addicted to the habit for a
quarter of a century or so.
2. I think these definitions may be accepted.
There is a popular belief that bhang is derived
from a different species of plant from hemp
(Cannabis sativa). The fact that in this part of
the country bhang grows wild while ganja is a culti-
vated plant, lends colour to this belief. It is,
however, erroneous. Locally the articles are
known as ganja, charas and bhang.
19. In this part of the country ganja and charas
are used only for smoking. In Orissa, I have
known Pandas of Jagannath drink a draught of
ganja, preparing it like bhang. It is rubbed up
in a mortar with some spices and the potion is
drunk off.
23. Bhang is smoked by ganja-smokers only on
the contingency of ganja not being available. It
is, however, so much despised as an article for
smoking that weak ganja is condemned as bhang.
Generally speaking, however, bhang is not smoked.
28. (a) Average allowance is two chillums—i.e.,
about 30 grains—daily, and cost about half an
anna.
(b) Average allowance is about 12 chillums—
i.e., about 1 tola,—and cost about 6 annas. I am
personally acquainted with one who used to smoke
one chhatack of ganja daily.
29. The only ingredient ordinarily mixed with
ganja is tobacco leaf. A chillum of ganja
is prepared thus: a bit of ganja is taken in the
palm of the left hand, moistened with a little
water and then rubbed against the palm with
the right thumb; the water is then squeezed
out and the bolus is mixed with finely-cut
tobacco leaves and rubbed again as before. The
mixed mass is then cut into small pieces, when it
becomes ready for smoking. Before putting the
mass into the kalika (the earthenware portion of
a huka which holds the tobacco), a small quantity
of prepared tobacco is placed at the bottom, and
over that the ganja mass prepared as before.
Tobacco is mixed with the object of making the
ganja soft and mellow. As to exceptional ingre-
dients, I know of only opium; it is mixed with
ganja by those who are opium-eaters as well, and
with the object of heightening the effect of the
ganja. Charas is mixed with a little tobacco, and
prepared as ganja.
3 A