83
66.Only flat ganja is consumed here. See
answer to question No. 65
.
67. I have no objections. See answer to que
s-tion No. 59.
68. In the island of Bombay there are seven
shops where ganja., bhang or garda, and charas are
consumed on the premises. There are also thir
-
teen places where bhang and garda are consumed
on the premises. I feel very strongly that it
would be a mistake to close such shops. The
closing of these houses would cause a multiplica
-
tion of smoking and drinking places, over which
neither the excise nor police authorities would have
control. It would increase the sale and smoking
of ganja by fakirs and other very poor people at
street corners, near markets, and at other places
where people congregate. It would also drive many
respectable ganja and charas smokers and bhang
drinkers to prepare and consume the drugs in
their houses, which would, I think, tend to increase
the number of persons who make use of hemp
drugs.
69. The wishes of the people in the neighbour
-
hood of the proposed shop are consulted in Bom
-
bay before the Collector sanctions the opening of
the shop, and the opening of the shop is disallowed
if the objections of the people are considered
reasonable. In the case where hemp drugs may
only be sold at the shop the abkari officers make the
enquiry, and in the case where drugs are sold and
consumed on the premises additional enquiry is
made by the police, as in the last-mentioned case
a police license is required under Bombay Act
XLVIII of 1860.
70. I do not think any hemp drugs are
smuggled into Bombay from Native States. The
present farmer holds the hemp drugs farm for the
Thana district, and there is, I believe, but little
smuggling from other districts into Bombay.
There is no general use of untaxed drugs in
Bombay.
Oral evidence.
Question 20.—I base my figures here on the
amount of the drugs actually supplied to the
shops. From the figures given in answer 25 the
wastage has to be deducted. These figures
represent what was actually brought in. The
amount actually supplied to the shops for use was
less. The average for five years of ganja has been
given me by the contractor as 258 Indian maunds,
hang 46 Indian maunds, charas 6 maunds 33
seers, garda 49 maunds. I believe this to be
correct. In making my calculations I have used
the estimates indicated in answer No. 28. I hold
to these estimates. I think that the number of,
ganja smokers in Bombay is, as I show, far more
than bhang drinkers. The bhang drinkers who
occasionally drink would raise the total in answer
24 considerably. My estimate is on the amount
required for habitual moderate use. I do not
think that the occasional use of bhang is at all
prevalent in Bombay. People from Gujarat do
take it in this occasional way, but not Deccanis
or Konkanis. Not even all Gujaratis.
Question. 35.—I was personally told in mak
-
ing my enquiries that some people believed that
the attack on hemp drugs was due to a desire to
foster European liquor. I do not understand that
it is a general impression; but I think it is the
genuine opinion of some ignorant people.
Questions 45 and 46.—I have not personal
knowledge of harm done by the habitual moderate
use of these drugs; but I am told that the gene
-
vol. vii.
ral opinion, the popular idea, is that the habitual
moderate use does harm. It is thought that if a
man is comfortably off and well-nourished that
injury is prevented. Otherwise it is thought that
ganja smoking affects the lungs and causes cough.
There is also a popular opinion, I think, that the
habitual user of the drug ( even moderately ) is
sometimes not so trustworthy as others, less
truthful and somewhat tricky. It is also said that
the very excessive use of the drug causes lunacy,
whether permanent or not I cannot say. I have
myself no experience of any kind of harm from
the habitual moderate use. I cannot be sure that
I know anything even of the excessive use
causing injury. about the shops I have some-
times seen some wretched emaciated looking
men; but I cannot be sure that this state was
produced by the ganja. I should not say
that I see many such men about the ganja
shops. It is the ganja shops where they are seen.
In proportion to the consumers, I should say that
there were more such men about ganja shops than
about liquor shops. I would rather not say about
opium shops, as it is some time since they were
closed. Generally, then, my impression is that
there are more wrecks from ganja than from
liquor in proportion to the number of consumers ;
but not actually more. These wretched-looking
objects are, I think, chiefly Muhammadans,
beggars, fakirs. Fakirs are credited with indulg
-
ing in excesses in regard to ganja, but not (I
think) in other excesses. Their want of food,
clothing and comforts. would tend to emaciation
apart from ganja. I believe they take ganja
because they are idle and have nothing to do;
possibly also that they may not feel their priva-
tions so keenly. I think it possible that persons
in comfortable circumstances only occasionally
become wrecks from ganja ; but I cannot say
that I know a case. The persons I refer to are
chiefly but not exclusively of the fakir class. I
have occasionally seen people in shops who gave
me the impression that they had been better off
and had been injured in this way by ganja. I
visit the shops for purpose of revenue duty. I do
not consider it any part of my duty to enquire
into the antecedents of consumers or the effects of
the drugs.
Question 58.—The revenue will he about
R50,000 this year. The increase I believe to be
due to competition in the auction sales and
nothing else. I do not attribute it to the closing
of the madak and chandu shops. I believe these
last-mentioned drugs are as much consumed as
ever. This year's revenue will be higher than
ever before ; but it has been steadily going up
for years.
Question 59.—Since I have known the business,
we have had only one contractor for each period
for the whole of Bombay. I have indicated that
the separate shop system would increase revenue
and tend to improve quality. But I do not think
that it would tend to increase consumption. The
high license fee fixed by auction for each shop
would keep up the price of the drug. This being
the principal duty on the drug would also tend to
prevent smuggling, as it would not be to the
advantage of a shopkeeper to smuggle or connive
at smuggling. I do not think, however, that the
tendency would be for shopkeepers to push the
sale of the drugs.
In regard to direct duty, I think that Rs. 10 a
maund is as high as we can take in the Bombay
city owing to the danger that there would be of
smuggling, It would be less dangerous to have
o2