207
I am of opinion from local information that the
use of these drugs by persons suffering from mental
anxiety or brain disease will not give them real
relief, although it is popularly supposed that it
alleviates pain to a certain extent. The insanity
may often tend to indulgence in the use of hemp
drug by a person who is deficient in self-control
through weakened intellect.
46. The habitual excessive use of any of these
drugs is very harmful. One becomes weak.
47. Use of any of these drugs does not appear
to be a hereditary habit. It does not affect in any
way the children of the moderate consumer.
48. Please refer to the answer to question 46.
49. The moderate use of any of these drugs is
not practised as an aphrodisiac. Prostitutes do
not use it for that purpose. The use of these
drugs for this purpose is not more injurious than
its use as an ordinary narcotic. The use of hemp
does not tend to produce impotence.
50. The excessive use of any of these drugs is
not beneficial to health. It is a danger to one's
occupation. The habitual excessive consumer is
always in the state of intoxication, and conse-
quently unable to follow his ordinary pursuits.
51. There is no large proportion of bad
characters of habitual moderate consumers of any
of these drugs. The moderate use has no connec-
tion with crimes in general or with crime of any
special character.
52. There is no benefit from using any of these
drugs excessively. An immoderate consumer is
always in the state of intoxication. That is a
bar to his occupation and loss to his profit. The
consumers spend large sums of money in buying
these drugs, and consequently come to want.
53. The excessive indulgence in any of these
drugs does not incite to unpremeditated crime,
violent or otherwise. The man who uses the drugs
sits silent or sleeps, and I don't know any case in
which it has led to temporary homicidal frenzy.
54. These drugs are not used by criminals to
fortify themselves to commit a premeditated act
of violence or otherwise, because they do not
create strength in them if used.
55. Criminals, in order to further their designs,
induce their victims to partake of any of these
drugs, and so stupefy them. Complete stupefac-
tion can be induced by these drugs without, ad-
mixture of any other substance in the case of
those who are not habituated to smoke, eat or
drink ganja or bhang.
56. Intoxication is produced in a greater degree
when the hemp is used with dhatura seed, whether
used moderately or excessively.
57. I do not know about charas, nor I know
whether ganja is used for drinking or eating
purposes.
58. The present system of excise administra-
tion in this district is well enough with respect
to hemp drugs and does not require improvement.
60. Ganja is produced in this district. I think
the cultivation of the ganja-bearing plant and
the process of its preparation are sufficiently
controlled, and the system requires no modification
in any respect.
61. Charas is not produced in this district.
62. I think that the cultivation of the hemp
plant for the production of bhang is sufficiently
controlled.
63. I have no objection to the present system
of (a) wholesale, (b ) retail vend of (1) ganja, (2)
bhang, or preparations of them,
64. I have no objections to the existing regula-
tions governing the export and import of these
drugs, or of their preparations from and into your
province or their transport within the district.
65. The taxation of (1) ganja, (2) bhang, is in
my opinion reasonable, and does not require any
alteration. I do not know anything about charas.
66.
In my opinion it is not necessary that
there should be different rates of taxation for
different kinds of ganja, because the different
kinds of ganja are produced from the same plant,
and no significant difference is noticed in their
effects.
67. I have no objection to the present method
of taxing (1) ganja, (2) bhang.
68. In this district shops are licensed for the
sale of these drugs and not for consuming them
there. And I think that such shops or houses
should not be permitted for the latter purpose.
69. The wishes of the people are not consulted
or considered in any way before a shop is opened
in any locality, and measures are not taken for
the purpose. Local public opinion should be
considered on such occasion.
70. Ganja is not smuggled in this district.
108. Evidence of DAJI ABAJI KHARE, Honorary Secretary, Bombay Branch, East
India Association, Bombay.
Referring to the subject in connection with the
hemp drugs, the Branch Association have no special
objections to offer, but they respectfully observe
that no liberal-minded people would ever apply to
the Government for the entire prohibition of the
use of hemp drugs or preparations made therefrom
because they are injurious. It is true that hemp
drugs and preparations made from these drugs are
much more deleterious to health than opium, but
notwithstanding, these, drugs are in common use by
a very large part of the native population of this
country and to which some of them are attached.
It is also true that these drugs have good qualities
as well as bad.
The only good and wise measure, which our
good Government should adopt for the benefit of
the people, is to impose more stringent precau-
tions and restrictions upon the sale of these drugs
than they have on the sale of opium, and to
increase the severity of the punishment for the
adulteration of liquor and other beverages with
hemp drugs.