78
because it leads to vices. The hemp plant is not
worshipped in this district.
34. Habitual excessive consumers, such as
gosavis, bairagis, fakirs, etc., will alone expe
-
rience serious privation if they do not get the
drug. Non-habitual or non-excessive consumers
will not experience any privation. They will
leave off the habit.
35. It is not feasible to prohibit the use of all
these drugs, so long as alcoholic stimuiants and
other drugs are freely procurable. Excessive
liquor drinkers are more formidable than ganja
smokers or bhang or ghota drinkers, and therefore
men who want intoxication may have ganja in
preference to liquor. It is easy to effectually
prohibit the use of these drugs by prohibiting
the cultivation of the hemp plant without any
discontent amounting to a political danger.
36. There is no religious objection for the use
of ganja or bhang, as they are not liquids pre
-
pared by other castes ; but there e ists a prohibi--
tion regarding the use of liquor. I know persons
who wish to have intoxication preferring liquor to
ganja, and therefore the consumption of alcohol is
on the increase and will increase as the ties of
religious bonds are becoming slackened by edu
-
cation, and the action of the respectable people
in excommunicating drinkers of liquor becomes
more and more hampered by the operation of the
defamation section of the Indian Penal Code.
37. The effects of charas smoking are unknown
here.
38. Flat ganja is alone to be had here.
39. Drinking ghota or bhang is less injurious
than smoking ganja or eating majum or yakuti.
The smoking of ganja affects one's brains—some
-
times permanently—and the consumers of yakuti
are found to be more intoxicated than the drinkers
of ghota or bhang.
40. There is no native doctor's school in which
the medicinal qualities of these drugs is taught.
I know of one Native Assistant Surgeon prescrib
-
ing a few drops of essence of ganja to a patient
to give good sleep ; but instead of its producing
the desired effect the patient began to rave. I
have not seen these drugs used in the treatment
of cattle disease; but ganja is used for giving
massala or medicine to horses.
41. I think ganja or bhang, if given as a
medicine when occasion requires, ( a ) would act as
a digestive element to persons not accustomed to
eat or drink it habitually ; (b) ganja smokers
under ganja intoxication do not consider a long
journey fatiguing; (c) I cannot say whether, in
malarious or unhealthy tracts, these drugs would
be preventive of disease. The present uses of
these drugs are not for purposes ( a ) and ( c) , but
for the purpose of getting intoxicated only.
42. Requires no answer in consequence of the
reply to query No. 41 being in the affirmative.
43, Moderate consumers are not offensive ; but
they become excessive consumers by degrees, and
then they are offensive to their neighbours.
44. The immediate effect of the moderate use
even of any of these drugs is this, that the eyes of
the consumer become red and his disposition
peevish. It does not produce perceptible hunger.
It is not refreshing, but stupefying. It does not
allay hunger, but creates appetite. The effect of
ganja-smoking is not good, especially on those who
do not use animal food. I have seen most of the
ganja smokers to be thin men, unable to compre-
hend any subject patiently. The intoxication lasts
from one to three hours.
45 and 46. Even the habitual moderate use of
ganja does produce noxious effects on the health of
a person. It impairs the constitution of the con
- s u m e r i n s o m e d e g r e e . I t c a u s e s a s t h m a , a n d
makes a man drowsy and immoral sometimes. It
deadens intellect, and sometimes produces perma--
nent insanity, though not of the worst type. I
know several cases of insanity caused by ganja--
smoking. They become voilent, and are addict--
ed to raving and abusing. They have not been
allowed indulgence in the use of the hemp drugs,
and therefore whether their tendency is for the
excessive indulgence in the use of the drug is not
known. I have not seen any instance of insanity
caused by the bhang ghota drinking. Charas is
rarely used in this Collectorate, as already stated.
47. The habitual use of ganja or bhang is not a
hereditary habit, and it has no effect on the
children of the smokers further than this, that
they imitate their father and become ganja
smokers also.
48. The effect of the habitual excessive use of
the drug has a pernicious effect on the children of
the smokers. The children are more weak.
49 and 50. The use of ganja and bhang is en--
couraged by prostitutes. Its use is moderate at
the beginning, but develops into excessive after
some time. When it reaches the latter stage it is
more injurious to health than the former stage,
especially to those who cannot get substantial food.
An excessive ganja smoker admits that by his
indulging in sexual intercourse to excess under the
influence of ganja he has impaired his vital powers,
and that as the ganja-smoking or ghota-drinking
is not sufficient to procure for him intoxication, he
is required to eat half a tola of opium in addition
now.
51 and 52. Yes, the use of ganja or bhang
has no direct effect on crime; but as the consumers
thereof are mostly worthless persons, their congre
-
gation together on account of their habit induces
them sometimes to plan a crime.
53. The accused in many cases charged for cul--
pable homicide not amounting to murder, or
causing the death of other persons by rash or
negligent acts, have many times pleaded before
me that they did the act while in a state of ganja
or liquor intoxication.
54 and 55. No.
56. I have heard of cases in which dhatura was
administered by criminals to their victims in bhang
ghota.
57. I have not heard of ganja and charas
having been eaten or drunk.
58 and 59. No improvement in the present
excise administration of the drug is needed.
60. The present mode of control, viz., the sale
and manufacture of ganja and its export and
import under licenses, is quite sufficient.
61. The present arrangements, as above describ-
- e d , a r e s u f f i c i e n t .
62. Ganja and bhang are nearly one and the
same, as described in reply to query No. 2, and
therefore the answer to query No. 60 applies to
this.
63 and 64. No.
65. I think the present taxation in the shape of