93
such community would lead to political danger.
The increasing practice being detrimental to the
public health, it is the duty of the good-principled
ruler to stop it. Although the vice of indulging
in bhang and ganja and that of drinking liquor
have no connection with each other, the prohibition
is likely to lead some of them to have recourse
to opium and others to alcoholic stimulants.
36. For the present there is no practice come to
notice of alcohol being substituted for these drugs.
N. B.—The answers to the questions in the
5th chapter apply both to bhang and ganja.
37. Charas is not used in this part of the
country.
38 and 39. Both the smoking of ganja and the
drinking of bhang (ghota) produce intoxication.
The smoking produces heat in the body. It in
-
creases appetite and is likely to affect injuriously
the consumer's brain and blood if he is not, given
sufficient food to eat. It is also likely to bring on
asthma and cause disorder of lungs. Such are not
the effects of the ghota, the use of which keeps in
-
toxication longer than in the case or the ganja
-
smoking. It also sustains consumer's power of
working. A
gh ota
has a cooling effect in the end.
It does not tend to increase appetite, nor is it so
injurious to health. If consumed in a moderate
quantity, it has these advantages. But ordinarily
moderation is not observed, and its immoderate
use is therefore injurious.
40. Purified bhang and ganja are used for
medical purposes, Purified bhang and ganja are
mixed in certain proportion with some of the
medicines prescribed for cough, high breathing,
piles and other diseases. It is also mixed with
some medicines prescribed for certain cattle
diseases. But it is not to be supposed that there
are other cures for the diseases mentioned above.
41. It is known from experienced people that
moderate consumption of these drugs have the
effects mentioned in ( a ) , (b) , and (c) . Their use
serves to secure concentration of mind to any
subject.
( a ) On rare occasions it is useful to invalids.
(b) As already stated in the answer to the
17th question, it is used by weavers and others
for this purpose.
(c) It is useful to ascetics, bairagis and others
going on pilgrimages and travelling in hot or cold
countries with or without clothes on.
(d) Persons leading their life as devotees.
It is difficult to state the proportion. The
above information relates to the habitual moderate
consumers.
42. It does not seem necessary to answer this
question in view of the answer given to the pre
-
ceding question.
43. Intoxication from bhang and ganja is
pleasing to consumers in their sedentary position,
and they are therefore inoffensive to their neigh
-
bours.
44 to 46. Reliable information is not obtain
-
able to give satisfactory answers to these questions.
47 to 52. I am not aware of any instances of
this nature.
53. Excessive indulgence in this drug causes
quietude in a consumer and deprives him of the
power of excitement. Therefore there is no in
-
citement in the consumer to any violent or other
crimes. I known of no case in which it has led
to temporary homicidal frenzy. The state of the
man, even when he is under complete influence of
the drug, is not such as to incite him to commit
suicide.
54. No.
5 5
. T h e s m o k i n g o f g a n j a d o e s n o t b r i n g o n
insensibility, but only slight intoxication. I am
not aware of any instances of the nature indicated
in the question. Insensibility is not produced
without a mixture of any other substance with
this drug. Dhatura seed, kuchara or other sub
-
stance is necessary to produce perfect insensibility.
56. Dhatura is not mixed with this drug in
order to induce consumption. I have not been
able to obtain information on the other points.
57. Ganja is not eaten in this part of the
country. Bhang (ghota) is drunk. This and
the effects of its use have already been mentioned
above. Charas is not prepared in this part of the
country.
58 and 59. The existing rules relating to bhang
and ganja should have a provision of an enactment
prohibiting the cultivation of ganja. Should this
be found inexpedient, such duty should be imposed
on ganja as would make it a costly article. To
attain this object, a rule should be made requiring
the storage of bhang and ganja in a place assigned
for the purpose, and the duty due to Government
should be paid by the contractors.
The shops, where the sales of bhang and ganja
are considerable, should be sold by auction, and
those where the sales are not large should be farmed
as at present for a lump sum.
The existing rule permitting the sale of ganja
not exceeding forty tolas per diem per head
enables a purchaser to dispose of a portion of it to
another. If such a transaction be declared illegal,
it, would cheek the increase of the vice. To attain
this end, the limit of forty toles should be reduced
to four tolas, the maximum quantity needed per
head as shown in the answer to question 28. More
than this should not be allowed to be sold to one
person. If this course be adopted, the vice would
materially decrease.
60. The cultivation of the ganja-bearing plant
does not, require supervision, but it seems desirable
that the process of the preparation of ganja and
bhang should be subjected to supervision; ganja
is not capable of being prepared secretly, The
present supervision seems therefore sufficient.
61. Charas is not produced in this part of the
country.
62. Ganja and bhang are products of the same
plant. To prepare a good ganja it is necessary
that the plant should not be allowed to reach
maturity. Bhang requires a mature plant. When
ganja is produced from immature plants, bhang
turns out bad, and when bhang is made from
mature plants ganja does not turn out good.
Therefore a farmer should take precautions to
manufacture good ganja from immature plants,
and should reserve plants in an allotted area for
preparation of good bhang. A rule should be so
made that a farmer may not be able to obtain that
advantage for the bad stuff which he can get for
the good one.
6 3 . T h e r e s e e m s n o n e e d o f a n y c h a r g e i n t h e
existing system relating to the wholesale vend of
ganja and bhang. As regards the retail vend the
farmers attempt to extort from purchasers any rate
they like. This is hard on the purchasers. There
-
fore, the farmers should be bound, as in the case of
opium contracts, to sell at such rates as may be
prescribed by the Collector or other officer authoriz-