240
ing been a man of very unusual ability and sound
¬ n e s s o f j u d g m e n t a s w e l l a s t h e l e a d e r i n S i n d o f
a crusade against intoxicants of all kinds. I
spoke to him on the subject when he was collect-
ing information for me, and found that he was
strongly of opinion that bhang drunk as a mild
refreshment was beneficial, while he was opposed
to the use of opium or alcohol in any form
except as a medicine. Bhang is used for the above
purposes by all classes of the people.
42. Mr. Navalrai's reply to question 42 is
—
" I have associated with persons who are moder-
ate habitual consumers, and have never found the
drug to do them any harm. They feel no more
than a pleasant sensation with more or less forget-
fulness of wordly cares."
I need scarcely say that Mr. Navalrai was not
an habitual consumer, but he had, as before stated,
on rare occasions drunk the mixture known as
thadal. I certainly think that bhang as ordi-
narily drunk in Sind is harmless, and that to de-
prive the people of it would be exactly the same
thing as to deprive the ordinary Englishman of
his beer or the Devonshire labourer of his cider.
43. Moderate consumers of bhang are perfectly
inoffensive in every way.
44. Undoubtedly its moderate use tends to allay
hunger, although it is said to stimulate the
appetite greatly, and it is very refreshing. It is
not intoxicating, and the effect is only temporary.
If habitually drunk even in moderation, its want
would be felt.
45. The habitual moderate use of bhang has in
the opinion of all consulted no bad effect what-
ever, at any rate until old age approaches. Then
some people think that the constitution becomes
enervated and weakened by it, but the popular
idea is that even then a plentiful use of ghi and
sugar will counteract all bad effects.
46. Used in excess, bhang causes all the bad
effects mentioned in the question ; but insanity
produced by it would appear to be generally tem-
porary. Its principal effect is to render the con-
sumer thoroughly inert both in mind and body.
47. The habitual moderate use of hemp has no
tendency to become hereditary or to affect in any
way the children: The landholder referred to in
paragraph 31 said he had warned his sons against
its use lest they should be bitten by the same
snake as their father was, and that neither of
them drank it.
48. Nor do I think that excessive bhang drink-
ing is an hereditary habit; but it would no doubt
injuriously affect the children in proportion as the
parents' health was impaired by its use.
49. It is not used in moderation as an aphro-
disiac.
50. But it is used in excess for the above pur-
pose by people of all kinds and prostitutes and it
tends to enfeeble the system, even if it does not
directly produce impotency, as the excessive use of
charas and ganja are said to.
51. Moderate consumption is not connected
with crime in any way.
52. Nor do I think that excessive consumption
is, because the most characteristic feature in the
effect produced by the drinking of bhang to excess
is extreme timidity, which would rather prevent
the consumer from committing any crime. Thus
a man under the influence of bhang will be terror
¬ s t r i c k e n i f h e e v e n s e e s a p o l i c e m a n , a n d f a n c y t h a t
he has come to arrest him or beat him ; and again
he will be frightened if he sees the bania to whom
he owes money, and will readily sign any foolish
document which the latter asks him to. These ex-
amples were given to me by the bhangi landholder
above referred to, but they illustrate very well the
undoubted effect of an excessive use of hemp, and
which as a rule makes a man quiet, timid and inert.
53. It is said, however, to lead sometimes to
temporary passion, and in the case of a sepoy who
some years ago ran amuck at Hyderabad it was
attributed to an excessive consumption of bhang.
The evidence on this point is, however, discrepant,
many people saying that bhang never leads to
violence.
54. I have never heard of bhang being used to
fortify criminals in order to enable them to com-
mit crime.
55. A species of sweetmeat called " majun " is
prepared in Sind from bhang by boiling it with
ghi and water, the scum being carefully removed
during the boiling. Sugar is then added and
spices, musli, shokakal, and galib khalu, of which
I do not know the botanical names, bahman
( C e n ¬ t a u r e a b e h e n )
, dalchini (cinnamon), wodaf
(aniseed), kaisar (saffron), phota (cardamoms ),
jafar (nutmeg), jauntri (mace), and utangar
(Acanthodium hirtune) . This sweetmeat is very
popular, and realizes about double the price of
bhang, It is used in Sind by criminals in order to
further their designs, as it is pleasant to the taste
and produces stupefaction. I myself have had
several cases before me as a Magistrate in which
majun had been so used. Dhatura is sometimes
mixed with bhang, sugar, and spices for the same
purpose. Bhang by itself is not so used, neither are
charas and ganja. In 1891 a case of unnatural
crime was committed to the Sessions at Shikarpur,
in which the victim, a boy of 14, was said to have
been drugged with sweetened bhang in which
dhatura had been mixed, but the case was acquit-
ted. Practically complete stupefaction does not
follow the drinking of plain bhang.
56. Bhang drunk either in moderation or excess
is said to become more intoxicating when parched
gram or til (sesamum) is added. Dhatura is used
for crime only. In December 1888 a man was
convicted under section 37, Bombay Act VII of
1867, of being drunk and incapable from the
effects of dhatura and charas mixed.
57. Ganja and charas are not eaten or drunk
in Sind. The intoxicating qualities of the hemp
plant are very remarkable. Thus it is stated to
be an actual fact that persons passing by the crop
when nearly ripe often feel their heads spin and
indeed ache from its influence. Birds who, like
squirrels, hares and rats, eat the seed greedily be-
come so intoxicated by it that they can be caught
by the hand, and I have seen a man who said he
had himself caught them in that state more than
once.
58. I am well acquainted with the excise sys-
tem in force as regards hemp drugs, and I think
that it works fairly well, but needs more than one
radical change.
59. At present the price of bhang and of
charas and ganja too is entirely unrestricted, and
it is left to the licensed farmer's will to raise or
lower it at his pleasure. If, therefore, at the auc-
tion a man bids excessively, the farmer can reim-
burse himself by raising the price, provided, of
course, that such price is not actually prohibitive.
The consequence is that the bhang farmer buys at
Rs. 2 ½ to Rs. 4 ½ per maund (the landholder before
mentioned actually sold his crop last year at