268
It is confined generally to the male sex. Very
few respectable persons indulge in ganja and
charas, or the excessive use of bhang; and I think
it is not far from the truth to state that few or no
respectable Sindhis, women or children, indulge
in any of these drugs. The period the moderate
use of bhang is commenced is amongst men
after 40.
31. Nobody forms these habits alone. They
are begun in imitation of the habits of companions
and are formed with ascendin
degrees of diffi-
c u l t y .
The habit of drinking bhang is easily formed,
as it is not disagreeable, but one must inure one-
self to the habit of ganja, and especially to charas,
as their fumes are strong and disagreeable, and at
first it is almost impossible for the novice to
in-hale their fumes into the lungs, especially charas;
at first on entering the larynx it produces a
violent fit of coughing, and even amongst mawa-
lis a full inhalation will sometimes end in a
paroxysm of coughing. A man with powerful
lungs will learn the habit sooner, therefore, than
one with originally delicate lungs; or than those
whose lungs are irritable or are debilitated by
disease. I know a mawali who cannot on this
account inhale ganja or charas. As a rule, for a
healthy man it takes forty days of persistent effort
to acquire the habit.
It is the society that is difficult to break off.
Divorce a man from the society and occupy his
time with different motives and objects, and the
habit of meeting his companions and the mere
craving for the stimulant soon passes away. The
practice of these habits is formed and continued
in company, where the spirit of rivalry as to who
will stand the most of these drugs is always
present more or less amongst differently constitut-
ed individuals.
There is no general tendency of the moderate
towards the excessive use; for all Sindhis use
bhang in moderate quantities; but the proportion
of mawalis to the population would, I should
think, be a very small one.
32. Not that I know of. There is a holiday
called Shivaratri in honour of the marriage of the
god Shiva on which the Pardeshi and Sindhi Hindu
fakirs who are his followers use these drugs in
excessive quantities. But the Hindu population
in Sindh do not indulge to excess on this day.
They prepare a ling of Shiva; if they have not
got one of stone, they make one of clay to which
they present flowers and wash it with bhang, re-
peating the following prayer: "Oh God, accept
this bhang from thy faithful followers," and then
they drink of the bhang. Those who are smokers
of ganja and charas ( viz,, mawalis ) indulge always
to intoxication on this day.
36. No. But many respectable Hindu Sindhis
take a glass of brandy or whisky or country liquor
before supper, from the idea that it excites their
appetite, and in imitation of the ruling race, as
they imitate the cut of their clothes, etc.
37. The difference is purely of degree and not
of kind; bhang is the weakest and charas the
strongest. Charas produces immediate intoxica-
tion and goes off sooner; bhang, on the other hand,
produces intoxication, but is much slower in its
action; ganja may be said to be midway between
the two.
39. The answer to this question is implied in the
answers already given. Bhang is used moderately
to stimulate the appetite and as a cooling
drink. In a general debauch bhang forms, so to
speak, the first course, and is drunk to the degree
of excitement. Ganja forming the second course,
advances this degree to a state of intoxication.
Charas forms the "last straw," making them
either temporarily insensible or raving mad, a
condition which sometimes, under the continued
excessive use of these drugs, becomes permanent,
especially in cases where the nervous system is
originally week or predisposed from hereditary
weakness to insanity.
40. Bhang alone is prescribed in Sind, as a rule,
to men over 40, as a stimulant to the appetite,
refreshing drink and gently soporific. The "Vet."
here uses the extract with carbonate of ammonia
and belladonna for cough amongst horses. There
was a prisoner admitted into the jail with profuse
salivation; the usual remedies had no effect on him.
He asked me to give him a little bhang; I
did so and it acted like a charm, curing his
salivation almost at once, which cure remains
permanent.
41. (a ) Only bhang is believed to be disgestive
and refreshing in its moderate use.
(b) Never.
(c) and ( d) No.
42. Here it will be well to define what is meant
by the moderate use of these drugs. It means in
all cases in Sind short of intoxication. It is
difficult with ganja and charas to stop here (short
of intoxication), as a full inhalation is quite enough
to cause temporary giddiness in the strongest. No
respectable Sindhi would ever entertain the idea
of indulging moderately in ganja and charas. The
idea prevalent in Sind is that the use of ganja and
charas "consumes the body;" it is called "but jo
khát " (the body's house-breaker).
44. It has been already pointed out that the
consumption of bhang is habitually used in modera-
tion not approaching to intoxication amongst all
classes. It is said to be refreshing and as an
appetiser; it cannot, therefore, allay hunger. As
an appetiser (which it is generally believed to be)
it might cause a little more food to be taken than
necessary, which would tend theoretically to cause
drowsiness and would, therefore, be considered as
a soporific. The secondary effects on digestion
might last therefore a considerable time. There
is no physiological data concerning the length of
time bhang remains in the system. The popular
belief is two or three hours. The gratification is
more the indulgence of the habit of having
something at a given time of the day to break
the monotony of idleness. Ganja and charas pro-
duce very rapid intoxication; but, as has been
pointed out, none but mawalis indulge in ganja
and charas; and they always indulge with a view
to intoxication. If the old man does not get his
bhang at the usual time, he feels the longing
for it produced by habit, and is uneasy and per-
haps fretful if he is disappointed, as he believes
his night will be spoiled, fretfulness being a
means itself of rousing him up, and not the want
of the bhang.
45. It has been several times pointed out that
in Sind the moderate use of bhang, as far as
effecting the integration or disintegration of the
animal tissues is concerned, does neither good nor
harm. It is merely a sort of pastime for the idle.
Ganja and charas are always used by mawalis
with a view to intoxication, which always does