24
15. Evidence of MR. M . C. GIBB, First Assistant Collector,Ahmednagar.
51 and 52. Hemp is not largely consumed in
any form by bad characters, and when it is, their
consuming hemp has nothing to do with their
committing crime. The largest hemp consumers
are probably religious mendicants; some of these
men may be bad characters, but if they are,
their being so has no connection with their con
- s u m i n g h e m p .
53. I have never known a case in which crime
of any sort could be traced to indulgence in hemp.
I have consulted eleven of the other magistrates
of this district: one of them says he has known
of a man's cutting off his wife's nose under the
influence of hemp which he had been smoking; he
adds that he thinks consumption of hemp is
not sufficient to induce a man to commit a crime
of violence without provocation. The other
magistrates report that they have never known
cases in which crimes were the result of indul
-
gence in hemp. One magistrate reports that
hemp produces inconsiderateness, i.e ., carelessness
of consequences. If this is the case (and it
seems plausible) a man might commit crimes of
violence more readily when under the influence
of hemp, although the hemp did not directly pro
-voke to violence. This would, for instance, ac
-count for a man's cutting off his wife's nose
when under the influence of hemp, but in con
-sequence of infidelity or supposed infidelity on
the part of the wife when possibly had the
man not been taking hemp he would have been
equally anxious to cut off his wife's nose, but
would have too much been afraid of the conse
-quences to himself to do so. The same effect
of course, be produced by indulgence in
liquor, and it cannot be said that indulgence
i n hemp, because it is (if it is) capable of pro
-ducing this effect, incites to crimes of violence.
As far, therefore, as my own experience goes,
and as far as the opinion of eleven of the other
magistrates of this district goes there is nothing
to show that indulgence in hemp incites to crime.
Of course I have heard of cases in which run
- n i n g a m u c k h a s b e e n s a i d t o b e d u e t o i n d u l g e n c e
in hemp; these cases, however, as far as I remem-
ber have occurred in the north of India, and
I know nothing personally about them. Here,
again it would be a question, supposing that the
running amuck would not have taken place but for
indulgence in hemp, "did such indulgence ac
- t u a l l y c a u s e a d e s i r e t o b e v i o l e n t , o r w a s t h e
desire to be violent present before, and did indul
-gence in hemp merely cause carelessness of con
- s e q u e n c e s ? " C a s e s o f v i o l e n c e , t h e r e s u l t o f
lunacy produced by indulgence in hemp, do not,
I presume, come within the scope of the question.
54. Of eleven magistrates whom I have con
-sulted, one says "licentious persons do take them
(hemp drugs) to enhance * * * the pleasure
they hope they derive from their vice, or per
-haps more correctly to drive away any compunc
-tions of conscience****. If such persons are
thwarted*** hemp drugs consumed indirectly
help them to commit some act of violence
." This is the same magistrate who says hemp pro
-duces inconsiderateness. Neither I nor any of
the eleven magistrates I have consulted have
ever known of a man taking hemp in order to
fortify himself to commit crime.
55. I have no personal knowledge as to
whether indulgence in hemp can produce complete
stupefaction or not. The opinions of the eleven
magistrates in this district whom I have con
-sulted differ. Some say it can, some it cannot;
some that it can in an unaccustomed subject.
One says "one of my friends once thought of
drinking ghota (a form of bhang). He took it
in excess, and as a consequence he fell to the ground
completely senseless for some hours." This is
conclusive as regards the possibility of a man
not accustomed to it being stupefied by drinking
ghota ; whether ganja smoking would completely
stupefy is probably more doubtful. I have never
come across a case in which criminals have
stupefied their victims by means of any form of
hemp. Some of the magistrates consulted,
report that majum (a sweatmeat prepared from
the hemp) is given by criminals to stupefy their
victims, some that majum mixed with dhatura
is given; I am inclined to think that majum
when used in this way has dhatura mixed with
it, or at all events is not a preparation of hemp
unmixed.
16. Evidence of MR. H . W. BAGNELL, Assistant Magistrate, Poona.
51. Bad characters may be said generally to be
habitual moderate consumers of these drugs
according to their means. The moderate use has
no marked connection with crime, either of
general or particular character, except perhaps
with thieving. Consumers of these drugs are now
and then driven to theft to satisfy their craving
for them.
52. Excessive use eventually makes the con
-sumer go mad. But I do not consi der t hat as a
rule it excites to crime in general or to crime of
a special character with the abovementioned rare
exception.
53. Excessive indulgence is said to deter rather
than to incite to unpremeditated crime, violent
or otherwise; the consumer in excess becomes
stupid and inactive so as to lose all his energy.
I am not aware of a single case in which it has
led to temporary homicidal frenzy.
54. Criminals do not use these drugs to fortify
themselves to commit a premeditated act of
violence or crime. These drugs have a stupefy
-ing effect, rendering a man almost helpless.
55. These drugs are said to be administered by
criminals to their victims with the object of
stupefying them, to facilitate theft or deception
of any kind. Opinions differ as to the character
of stupefaction caused. The majority consulted
state that complete stupefaction can be caused
without admixture; others believe that to a per
- s o n u n a c c u s t o m e d t o t h e u s e o f s u c h d r u g s o n l y
can such stupefaction be caused without the aid
of other drugs. All agree that sufficient stupe
- f a c t i o n
f o r
t h e a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d p u r p o s e s c a n b e
effected without admixture, while one opinion
declares that for complete stupefaction some ad
- m i x t u r e i s n e e d e d .