246
48. In the case of habitual excessive consumers
of these drugs, the habit does not become heredi
-tary, and their children are not affected, because
in this country, with the exception of prostitutes,
no female is an habitual excessive consumer of
these drugs, and one of the parents of the child,
being free from the habit of the excessive use of
the drug, is probably the cause of the children not
being affected.
49 and 50. I cannot answer these questions.
51. Large proportion of bad characters in this
country are those who do not use any of these
drugs. The crime in general or in particular has
no connection with the moderate use of these drugs.
I give this opinion from my own experience as a
Magistrate who have had to deal with bad charac
-ters and criminals for more than a quarter of a
century.
52. On the other hand, the excessive use of
bhang produces cowardice and timidity. An
excessive bhang drinker is never violent. He is
not expected to commit any daring deed. If he
has no funds to purchase his daily bhang, he might
resort to pilfering. The excessive smokers of ganja
and charas get into fury and violence and in that
state do commit the crime of taking the law in
their own hands against the persons of other indi
-viduals, if provoked.
53. The excessive indulgence in these drugs does
not incite to unpremeditated crime or violence. I
know of no instance in which the excessive indul
-gence of these drugs may have led to temporary
homicidal frenzy.
54. I answer this in the negative.
55. Complete stupefaction cannot be induced by
any of these drugs without some strong admixture,
such as dhatura or opium soaked in oil, and the
criminals in order to further their designs always
mix some other strong intoxicating drug with hemp
drugs, when they administer it to their victims.
56. I am not in possession of accurate information
to enable me to answer this question correctly.
57. Ganja and charas are not known to be eaten
or drunk in Sind. They are only smoked.
58. I am acquainted with the system of excise
administration in this province in respect of hemp
drugs. I think it is capable of improvement.
59. In my opinion the administration requires
the following improvements : —
(a) Ganja and charas are not manufactured in
this province. They are imported by far
- m e r s f r o m P a n v e l i o f T h a n a d i s t r i c t i n
the Bombay presidency and. Yarkand re
- s p e c t i v e l y . T h e f a r m e r s t r y t o p u r c h a s e
inferior articles as cheaply as they can and
an inferior stuff is always injurious. Gov
- e r n m e n t o u g h t t o p u r c h a s e c h a r a s a n d
g a n j a , a n d s u p p l y t h e m t o t h e f a r me r s i n
the same way as they do opium ; because
the use of inferior ganja and charas is
more injurious than that of a superior
kind.
(b) Hemp is cultivated by agriculturists in
their fields wherever they like. They
have only to obtain permission for cul
- t i v a t i n g i t . T h e r e v e n u e a u t h o r i t i e s w a r n
them to sell their produce to Govern
- m e n t f a r m e r s , b u t o w i n g t o t h e w a n t o f
sufficient establishment these authorities
cannot depute a special officer to see that
all the hemp produced . by the cultivators
is sold and handed over to the Government
farmer. This leaves the cultivator at
perfect liberty to sell as much of it
i l l i c i t l y t o c o n s u m e r s a s h e l i k e s b e f o r e t h e
Government farmer comes to buy it from
him. The best plan will be that only
those who have lands not far away from
the taluka head-quarters should be per
-mitted to cultivate hemp plant, and Gov
- e r n m e n t s h o u l d a p p o i n t a w e l l - p a i d a n d
trustworthy official to see that the hemp
from the time of its harvest up to the
time it is handed over to the Govern
- m e n t f a r m e r i s n o t t a m p e r e d w i t h . U n t i l
this is done the illicit consumption of
bhang cannot be stopped in the neigh
-bourhood of those fields where it is cul
- t i v a t e d .
(c) Government sell by public auction the
right of retail selling of charas, ganja
bhang. The person whose bid is accepted
is called the farmer. There is no con
-dition in the license specifying the rate at
which he has to sell these drugs to the
consumers by retail sale, and he is to fix
his own rates, just as he pleases. Com
-paring the rates at which he purchases
with those at which he sells to the con
-sumers, the difference is very great and
most startling. To prove this assertion
I give below the figures regarding the
Hyderabad Collectorate, for one year, viz.,
1891-92 :
—
In the year 1891-92 the farmer paid R29,335
to Government. The quantities of the drugs
sold by him are shown below :—
Manuds. Seers.
Tolas.
(1) Bhang .
1,120
15
39
(2) Charas
14
10
67
(3) Ganja
.39
36
69
From the accompanying statement it will be
seen that the three drugs, which were consumed
during the year, were purchased by the farmer
at a total cost of R7,097-12-2 and were sold to
consumers at R83,404-11-9. The difference
between the prices at which the farmer bought
these drugs and sold them to the public is no
less than R76,306-15-7. Deducting the sum of
R29,335 paid to Government, it leaves him
R46,971-15-7.
No doubt the farmer spends something out of
this in the shape of carriage expenses of bringing
the drugs to various retail shops and paying com
-mission to agents who sell the drugs by retail in
different villages ; but this will not amount to
more than a few thousand rupees and the margin
of profit to the farmer is very great.
In the case of opium in this province Govern
-ment have made conditions with the farmers that
they cannot sell the drug beyond a certain maxi
-mum price to the consumers, which is five annas
a tola or Rs. 12½ per lb. The duty paid to Gov
-ernment is Rs. 10 .per lb.. As long as the present
system is in vogue, there is a very great danger
of the illicit importation of hemp from the
adjoining territory of Khairpur.
Bhang, which is purchased by the farmer at
Rs. 4 per maund, is sold to consumers by retail at
the rate of 3 pies a tola or Rs. 50 per maund,
and from the letter of the Political Agent of
Khairpur territory it appears that bhang is sold