244
15.
I cannot give the method of the preparation
of charas and ganja, as they are not manufactured
in Sind. But as far as the habits of the people
are concerned, charas and ganja are smoked, bhang
is drunk in a liquid state, and a preparation of
the bhang, called majum, is eaten. The way in
which majum is prepared is as follows :—Bhang
is pounded in a mortar, water is added to it and
its juice is extracted by pressing it. This is
again boiled and in the process of boiling sugar-
candy and cardamom are put in it. This, after it
is cooled, is eaten by well-to-do persons in small
quantities at bed-time and also early in the
morning, but the use of majum is confined to only
few and rich people.
16. Bhang is generally prepared by people in
their houses or tikanas and dayeras, which resem-
ble the alehouses of Europe. It can be prepared
from the hemp plant wherever grown, but charas
and ganja require special process for its manu-
facture.
17. Needs no answer.
18. Of course charas, ganja as well as bhang
deteriorate by keeping. Bhang and ganja quite
lose their effect after four years; but charas c a n
keep up its effect for a longer time and after six
or eight years it becomes useless. Lapse of time
and effects of climate are the causes of deteriora-
tion. No special measures can be suggested to
prevent the deterioration of these drugs.
19. As far as Sind is concerned, ganja and
charas are used only for smoking. They are used
in no other way.
20. Ganja and charas are smoked in this pro-
vince chiefly by fakirs who come from other parts
of India and also by those local residents who
associate with such fakirs. There are more ganja
smokers than charas smokers. The proportion of
ganja smokers is one per cent., and that of charas
smokers about one per 200 of the population.
In mufassal ganja and charas are used very little
and by exceptionally very few people ; but in
large cities and towns which the foreigners resort
to, the proportion of smokers is large.
21. Only the flat ganja is imported into Sind for
consumption.
22. Only foreign charas is used. It is im-
ported to this country from Yarkand via Amrit-
sar.
23. In very rare instances those who are ad-
dicted to ganja smoking do smoke bhang leaves
as a substitute for ganja when they cannot obtain
the latter; but this habit is confined to hard
smokers of ganja and it is not of general practice.
24. The drinking of bhang is not confined to
an y particular class or creed of people. Both
Hindus and Muhammadans drink and eat it.
Bhang is eaten in the shape of majum only in
large cities and towns by very few people who
are rich ; but its drinking is extended over large
cities and towns as well as the mufassal with this
exception that whereas in large cities and towns
the proportion of drinkers may safely be estimated
at 25 per cent., while in the mufassal it is only 5
per cent.
25. The use of ganja, charas and bhang, speci-
ally of the latter, is on the increase.
Gauja and. charas, when smoked, produce a
heating effect and the climate of Sind is hot..
Therefore these two drugs are consumed in a
limited quantity.
The drinking of bhang has cooling effects and
in a hot country like Sind it is, to those who use
it, an agreeable beverage. The reason of the in-
crease in the consumption and use of bhang may
be attributed to the change in the habits of the
people with the march of civilization, when
every young man has begun to think that he can
do what he likes and may eat and drink whatever
he pleases without any check as long as he does
not break the law.
To prove that charas and ganja are con-
sumed to a very small extent as compared with
bhang, I give the figures of consumption for the
year 1891-92 for the Hyderabad district :—
Maunds.
Seers.
Tolas.
(1) Bhang
.
. 1,120
15
39
(2) Charas
.
.
14
10
67
(3) Ganja
.
.
39
36
6 9
26. The number of habitual as well as occasional
excessive consumers of ganja and charas is very
small, and the number of occasional moderate con
-
sumers is also very small. They should not be
taken into consideration. But the number of
habitual moderate consumers of charas and ganja
may be reckoned at 5 per mille in large cities and
towns and 1 per mille in the mufassal.
In the case of bhang drinking the proportion
may be taken as follows :—
In large cities
and towns.
Per cent.
In mufas
¬sal.
Per cent.
(1) Habitual moderate consumers
20
3
(2) Habitual excessive
ditto
2
'5
(3) Occasional moderate ditto
1
5
(4) Ditto excessive ditto
2
1
27. Charas and ganja are smoked by people of
very low class and inferior habits, but bhang is
taken by all classes, beginning with princes, nobles,
merchants, spiritual leaders, ending with the poorest
labourer and the beggar. The habit of using
bhang is acquired by associating with bhang
drinkers.
28. The daily average cost of these drugs per
diem may be estimated as follows:—
Habitual moderate
consumers.
Habitual excessive
consumers.
(1) Bhang One pie per head.
Six pies per head.
(2) Charas
Six pies
"
Two annas
"
(3) Ganja
Three pies "
One anna
"
2 9 . A s a r u l e o r d i n a r i l y n o i n g r e d i e n t s a r e m i x e d
by any of the classes who use bhang, charas and
ganja. In exceptional cases, dhatura is mixed
with bhang in order to stupefy the person by
whom it is intended to be used ; but this is done
in very rare instances among the Muhammadans
of the lowest class. Among the Hindus the ad-
mixture of dhatura with bhang is not known.
There is no such thing as bhang massala known
or used in Sind.
30. Those who use the drugs take it in solitude
as well as in company, but naturally a man takes
a little more in company than what he does in
solitude.
Children never smoke charas or ganja; but
women of very low caste, such as prostitutes, do
smoke it. Bhang is used by females generally
after they attain the age of thirty or forty years,
but the proportion of female drinkers as compared
with male drinkers is very small, say one woman
after every five men.
31. The habit of consuming any of these drugs
can be easily formed, and it is difficult to break
off. There is not much tendency in the case of
any of these drugs for the moderate habit to
develop into the excessive; but it must be remem-
bered that those who are excessive smokers or