190
which often serves the consumer in ill-health as
a valuable medicine, or prevents him from getting
ill. Bhang is chiefly used by poor people, and to
them every pie has its value. The tax, though
not felt by the rich, is a burden on the poor.
68. In the city of Bombay there are licensed
shops where bhang is prepared and consumed on
the premises. The shop generally is in a small
room on the road side, the furniture consisting of
a mat, two or three lotas, and a stone slab on
which the bhang leaves are made into a paste
before the drink is prepared. The shopkeeper
earns but sufficient for his maintenance. So far
as I know, these shops are not known to have
any ill name attached to them. The customers at
these shops are not noisy or quarrelsome, and are
seldom known to cause inconvenience to any one.
These shops are not places resorted to by bad
characters to concoct their plans ; but this to some
extent depends on the locality in which the shop
is situated.
69. Local public opinion ought to be consulted.
It would be beneficial to the people.
Oral evidence.
Question 46 .—I have seen instances in Kathi-
awar of men becoming insane through exces-
sive use of ganja. I know no cases of insanity
caused by bhang. I have seen this madness
among sadhus and bairagis. Respectable people
do not use ganja. I have heard that sadhus mix
dhatura with their ganja, but I have not much
experience of the use of ganja. It is the seeds
of dhatura which are generally used, but some-
times the leaves and also the roots are used. I
cannot name any men, but I have seen many
bairagis suffering from bronchitis and asthma,
who were consumers of ganja. I cannot say
definitely that the diseases were caused by the
use of ganja.
Question 62 .—The injurious effects here attri-
buted to prolonged excessive use of bhang will
also follow on similar use of ganja. Injurious
effects can be seen even in a boy from one exces-
sive dose of bhang, but these effects do not last
long—not more than 24 hours. The effects of con-
tinuous use by the old are worse than the effects
of occasional excessive use by the young. The
prevalence of insanity from the drugs among
young men is contrary to my experience, but
I h a v e l i t t l e e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e e x c e s s i v e u s e o f
ganja.
101. Evidence Of VITHALDAS PRANJIWANDASS, Bhunksali Landlord and Trader,
late Intoxicating Drugs Farmer, Bombay.
1. My experience as intoxicating drugs farmer
during a period of ten years.
2. Bhang is known as bhang, subji and maya.
Charas is known as charas. Ganja is known as
ganja. The ganja consumed here is flat ganja ;
round ganja is unknown. Chur or broken ganja
is known here as garda.
7. There is no cultivation of the hemp plant in
the island of Bombay. I am aware there is cul-
tivation of the hemp plant in the districts of
Ahmednagar and Satara for (a) and (d) , and cul-
tivation of the hemp plant in the districts of Surat
and Broach for (c) .
14. I know that ganja and bhang are prepared
in the Bombay presidency. Ganja is prepared in
the Ahmednagar and Satara districts, and bhang
in the Surat and Broach districts.
18. Ganja, charas and bhang do deteriorate by
keeping ; they would quite lose their narcotic pro-
perties in time. Ganja with care will keep good
for one year ; the second year it will lose some of
its properties ; the third year it will lose more
of its properties; and the fourth year it will
be useless for sale. This statement holds good in
the case of charas and
bhang also. I attribute the
main cause of deterioration to humidity and damp.
I always used a store-room with only one door
and no windows. The store-room was paved with
stone, on the flooring I placed old gunny bags, and
on the bags I stored the bales of ganja and bhang
unopened, in the condition in which they were
received from the districts. The bales were
stacked one above the other. Charas I kept in
the packages in the condition in which they were
received, storing the packages on planks. When
a package was opened, the contents were at once
removed and placed in a tin-lined box. Rats are
very partial to hemp seed, and they must be kept
out of the store-room or they will destroy the
ganja.
19. Ganja and charas are only used in Bombay
for smoking. Garda, that is broken ganja
mixed with ganja, is also smoked. Garda is
chiefly used for drinking, and in small quantities
it is eaten. Garda is given to buffaloes and cows
to increase their appetites, so that they may eat
refuse grass and hay.
20. Ganja is smoked by Muhammadans and
Hindus. Muhammadan labourers and fakirs
smoke chiefly. Hindu sadhus smoke ganja large-
ly, and other Hindus of different castes and call-
ings smoke it more or less. The smoking of
ganja by other than Muhammadans and Hindus
is very exceptional.
Charas is smoked by Muhammadans and
Hindus. The quantity smoked in Bombay is
small. Among the Muhammadans it is smoked
by Pathans and fakirs, chiefly by the former.
Among the Hindus it is smoked by bawas and
sadhus.
21. Flat ganja is used for smoking. A small
quantity of garda mixed with flat ganja is also
smoked. Round ganja is unknown here.
22. I obtained my supplies of charas from
Amritsar and Lahore. I cannot say whether it
was native or foreign charas.
23. So far as I know, bhang is never used for
smoking.
24. Bhang is drunk by Muhammadans and
Hindus. The Muhammadans who drink bhang
are of the lower orders. Bhang is chiefly drunk
by Hindus of the Surti Bania, Fattehpuria
Marwari and Pardeshi castes. Only a few
Deccani and Konkani Hindus drink bhang.
Bhang is not largely eaten. The same Hindus
who drink bhang also eat it. Bhang is sometimes
given to horses with other spices as a tonic.
25. I believe the use of ganja and charas is
slightly on the increase, and the use of bhang
slightly decreasing.