67
to the highest bidder, as is now done invariabl
y in every district, but separate shop licenses should
be issued to applicants on payment of a fixed fee.
To secure the efficient administration of the
system, the right of selling the farm in the ad--
joining Native States will have to be purchased
by paying compensation to the chiefs, as has been
done in the case of country liquor.
60. and 61. As it is impossible to prepare or
cultivate the drugs surreptitiously, there is no
need for control.
62. As the cultivation of the hemp plant for the
production of bhang is not separate from the cul--
tivation of the plant for the production of ganja,
no further control than that now exercised is
needed.
63 and 64. See answers to questions 58 and
5 9 .
65. No tax is at present levied on the prepara
-tions of these drugs, except the import and trans-
- p o r t d u t i e s , i n r e s p e c t o f w h i c hv
i d e
a n s w e r s t o
questions 58 and 59.
66. Only flat ganja is prepared in this district,
and I do not think it necessary that there should
b e d i f f e r e n t r a t e s o f t a x a t i o n , b e c a u s e t h e d i f f e r e n t k i n d s o f g a n j a d o n o t d i f f e r m a t e r i a l l y i n t h e i r
strength.
67. The transport and export duties levied at
present are merely nominal, and I would suggest
that the present rates should be considerably en--
hanced.
68. There are licensed shops in this district
where these drugs are sold, but there is nothing
in the terms of the licenses granted prohibiting
the use of these drugs on the premises of such
shops.
69. Generally some sort of preliminary en
-quiries are made by the local officers without con--
sulting the wishes of the inhabitants of the local--
ity where a new shop is intended to be opened.
If the local officers are of opinion that a shop is
required at a particular place, it is generally sanc--
tioned.
70. See paragraph 18 of my Report No. 562
of 30th August last. Probably people living on
the borders of Native States buy their supplies
from shops in the States, as it is said that these
drugs are sold there cheaper than in the British
territory. According to the present terms of the
contract, a farmer or licensee is authorized to sell
to one and the same person on any one day as
much as 40 tolas. I think this limit is rather
high, and it should be reduced to two tolas as has
been recently done in the case of opium.
Oral evidence.
Question 1.—I am a Lengayet. We are follow
- e r s o f S h i v a , a n d t h e y s a y t h a t u n l e s s w e s m o k e
ganja we cannot understand God or find out God.
The sadhus and others say it is absolutely neces
-
sary for that concentration of mind required for
this understanding of God. This understanding
of God is not necessary to us all, but to our reli-
gious men. I believe there must be reference to
this in the Shastras; but I cannot lay my hand
on any passage. The Lengayets are a sect rather
than a caste; and there are caste divisions within
the sect. There are no Brahmins. It is a seces--
sion from Brahminism.
Question 2 .— Bhang is merely powdered ganja
in this part of the country. I have not seen
bhang properly so called.
Question 20.—The percentages here are on
adult males. The proportions for other districts
are based on contractors' information. But for
the Southern Mahratta country it is my own
estimate; it may be a little high. It contains,
however, the occasional consumers; and consump
- t i o n i s g r o w i n g . T h e t o t a l t e n p e r c e n t . u n d e r
ganja in answer 26 is the ten per cent. of the
population shown in answer 20. I have omitted
there the percentages for other districts given
in answer 20; for I know nothing personally of
these percentages.
Question 29.—I cannot say how much bhang
goes to the ser of bhoja, which is a liquid.
Question 35.—I would interfere with the habits
of the poor in this respect because they give up
their interest in life, become idle and do not work.
Thus they suffer more from habitual excessive
consumption than the better classes do. They
use the drugs sometimes in moderation with ad
-vantage; but generally this moderate use becomes
excessive to their great injury. So I would try
to stop consumption by them altogether. These
drugs also injure most those who have poor food.
Rich food is necessary with these drugs.
Probably they would turn to opium or dhatura,
but not alcohol, owing to religious objections. To
take to dhatura would be far worse.
Question 45.—It is only the excessive use of
the drugs that produces insanity. I know four
cases of madness produced by ganja. I mean
that the insanity in each case was attributed by
the relations to ganja; and I accepted their state-
ments. One was my teacher; and I never saw
him smoke. But two of the four men I have seen
smoke ganja. There is only one case which I
know well enough to say positively that the ganja
was the cause of the insanity.
That case was in 1875 or 1876, when the man
became insane. He was not a connection of mine.
He was the son of a drummer, who went about
with dancing girls. My father knew him. He
was a Lengayet and would not use drink. He
was a gambler, and was sent to jail in 1878-79
for some offence. A "decoy-powder" (or love
- p o w d e r ) g i v e n b y a w i f e m i g h t p r o d u c e i n s a n i t y :
that is the popular idea. Some attributed one
case, that I head of, to this. I can give no other
causes of insanity in general. My belief is that
the ganja caused the insanity in this case. It is
a popular belief among the Hindus that ganja
causes insanity. I know excessive smokers who
are not insane: the popular belief is that exces-
- s i v e u s e m a y c a u s e i n s a n i t y , n o t t h a t i t a l w a y s
does.
33. Evidence of RAO BAHADUR RAMCHANDRA RAJARAM MULÉ, Deshastha Brahmin,
Administrator of Jath, in Southern Mahratta Country.
1. During my service as administrator of Miraj
(Junior) and Jath, where hemp is cultivated, I
had opportunities of getting information from the
vol. vii.
cultivators of hemp and dealers in hemp drugs.
I had also opportunities of observing the character
of those addicted to the use of hemp drugs.