218
34. It would perhaps be a serious privation to
Muhammadan and Hindu religious mendicants to
forego the consumption of bhang and ganja, which
help professional beggars to while away their time
in intoxication. Ganja is especially considered to
produce bodily heat, and help those poor wretches
against inclement weather and want of sufficient
clothing. In the absence of any reliable statistics
the probable number of each class of such people
cannot be ascertained.
35. It would neither be feasible nor justifiable
to prohibit the use of bhang or ganja in British
territory without the co-operation of the surround-
ing and intervening Native States, whence the
drugs would be smuggled and consumed illicitly.
If all the Native States in India consent to co-
operate with the British Government, the prohi-
bition could be enforced. The prohibition would
occasion serious discontent among the consumers
in general, and such of the religious mendicants
in particular. Such discentent would not amount
to a political danger, because the consumers of
bhang and ganja form only a microscopic minority
as compared to the population of India, and who
cannot expect any support from the masses. ( a)
The prohibition of bhang and ganja would be
followed by recourse to alcoholic stimulants
amongst people who have no religious prejudices
against the use of alcohol, provided that they
could incur increased expenditure; but non-drink-
ing Hindus and Muhammadans would not take to
alcoholic stimulants owing to the prohibition of
bhang and ganja under any circumstances. (b)
The prohibition of bhang and ganja may some-
times be followed by recourse to opium in rare
cases amongst non-drinking classes.
36. There is no reason for thinking that highly
excised alcohol is now being to a certain extent
substituted for cheap intoxicants like bhang and
ganja, but, on the contrary, bhang and ganja are
substituted for alcohol by poor drinking classes of
people, who cannot afford money to indulge in
costly alcohol, and the increased consumption and
revenue of the intoxicating drugs is a proof of its
reality.
40. The use of ghi or clarified butter saturated
with the intoxicating property of bhang prepared
in the manner described in the .answer of question
No. 2 regarding the preparation of the pak is
prescribed by native doctors, called hakims and
vaids, in certain medicinal preparations. No ganja
is so used in medicinal preparations. Bhang is
also used in the treatment of cattle disease, but
not ganja.
41. ( a ) The moderate use of bhang and ganja
is considered beneficial in their effects as a food
accessory, or digestive, as could be ascertained
from the consumers only, which statement could
be taken for what it is worth.
(b) The moderate use of bhang and ganja are
said to give staying power under severe exertion
or exposure, or to alleviate fatigue, as could be as-
certained from the consumers only.
(c) Bhang and ganja are not considered bene-
ficial in their effects as a febrifuge or preventive
of disease in malarious and unhealthy tracts.
(d) Bhang is supposed to be beneficial in its
effects as a food accessory or digestive, to give
staying power under severe exertion or exposure,
or to alleviate fatigue in cattle and horses when
mixed with bajri, flour, jagri, pepper, alum, ginger,
turmeric, and garlic.
No ganja is used for the purposes indicated in
clauses ( a) , (b ) and (d) . Muhammadan and Hindu
religious mendicants use bhang and ganja for any
of the above purposes, whose proportion cannot
be ascertained. I refer to the moderate habitual
use in clauses (a) and (b) and moderate occasional
use of bhang in clause (d). Charas is not used in
Gujarat.
42. Although I am not inclined to believe in
the beneficial effects of the moderate use of bhang
and ganja, I consider their moderate use to be
harmless from what I could gather by personal
interviews with moderate consumers and a glance
on their constitution.
43. Yes; I think so.
44. The immediate effect of the moderate use of
bhang and ganja on the habitual consumers is
said to be refreshing, producing moderate intoxi-
cation, and creating appetite. The effect of bhang
lasts for about six hours, and that of ganja for
about three hours ; the after-effects of bhang and
ganja are unpleasant feelings of lassitude. The
want of subsequent gratification produces longing
or uneasiness.
45. The habitual moderate use of bhang and
ganja does not apparently produce any noxious
effects, physical, mental or moral ; does not impair
the constitution in any way, injure the digestion
or cause loss of appetite, cause dysentery, bron-
chitis or asthma, impair the moral sense or induce
laziness or habits of immorality or debauchery.
It does not deaden the intellect or produce in-
sanity.
46. The habitual excessive use of bhang pro-
duces noxious effects, physical or mental, impairs
the constitution, injures the digestion or causes
loss of appetite, induces laziness, deadens the in-
tellect to some extent, but it does not produce
insanity. The habitual excessive use of ganja prof-
duces noxious effects, physical or mental ; impairs
the constitution ; injures the digestion, or causes
loss of appetite; causes dysentery, bronchitis or
asthma ; induces laziness ; deadens the intellect or
produces insanity, temporary or permanent. The
symptoms of temporary insanity may be re-in-
duced by the use of the drug after liberation from
restraint, Insane who have no recorded ganja
history confess to the use of the drug. There is
a Brahmin named Ravisankar Gunpatram, aged
about 22 years, inhabitant of Anklesvar, au insane
from the effects of the habitual excessive use of
ganja, at present confined in the lunatic asylum at
Ahmedabad. There are other semi or temporary
insanes named Vanmali Morar, a tailor, aged
about 30 years; Jelu Manishankar, a Brahmin,
aged about 25 years ; Aju Gulab,a Muhammadan,
aged about 32 years, at Ankleswar; and many
others elsewhere.
58. I am acquainted with the present system of
excise administration in my province of Gujarat
with respect to hemp drugs, and I do not consider
it to be working well, which is capable of im-
provement. Under the present excise administra-
tion of hemp drugs, the exclusive privilege of
import, manufacture and retail sale of hemp drugs
is granted to the highest bidder on a lump sum
of an annual guaranteed minimum revenue. The
farmer is allowed to purchase bhang from local
cultivators free of duty at any prices, or import
from other districts covered under permits on
payment of Rs. 5 for the first 10 maunds and Re. 1
for each subsequent 2 maunds. The " pak " is
manufactured locally by the farmer as described
in the answer for question No. 2. Since no
F e t a i l p r i c e i s f i x e d i n t h e l i c e n s e , t h e f a r m e r c a n