245
drinkers had begun by moderate smoking or
drinking.
32. In the case of charas and ganja it is not
obligatory by any religious or. social custom to
smoke the stuff on any particular occasion; but
in the case of bhang among the Hindus during
the Holi holidays it is a part of the religious
ceremony to take a little of " panjtulo" (five
ingredients) when attending the tikana (a place
of, worship). This panjtulo is composed of bhang,
sugar, cardamom, dry leaves of ruses and succory
(or kasni) ; but there is no religious or social
obligation on the Muhammadans to take the
drink on any particular day. On the occasion
of religious holidays such as Mohurrum those
who do not drink it have no objection to take a
little of it if offered; but this drinking is gene-
rally temperate and is not likely to lead to the
formation of the habit, nor is it otherwise
injurious.
33. As far as public opinion of this country is
concerned, the smoking of charas and ganja is
considered as not a respectable habit, and the
moderate drinking of bhang is not regarded as
disreputable. On the contrary, there are certain
verses in Persian, Sindhi and Urdu, praising the
drug.
The hemp plant or its leaves or seeds are never
worshipped on any occasion by Muhammadans.
In the Sindhi months of Asu and Chet, when
Hindu males and females observe fasting (called
Ekana), the section of the Hindus who are the
followers of Devi worship hemp in liquid before
it is drunk.
34. Certainly it would be a serious privation to
charm, ganja and hemp consumers to forego
the consumption of these drugs, as it would be
in the case of a European labourer if he is prohi-
bited from his glass of beer. Once a man gets
into the habit of taking certain intoxicating or
narcotic drug, he feels the want of it even if he
were a moderate consumer. It is very difficult to
give the probable number of each class of con-
sumers.
35. It would not be feasible to prohibit the
use of any or all of these drugs, just in the same
way as all governments in Europe would not find
it feasible to prohibit the use of wines and beers.
If the licit consumption of these drugs were pro-
hibited, people would find ways to use them
illicitly. The consumers will be seriously discon-
tented if prohibition were enforced, and the dis-
content will certainly amount to a political danger,
as all classes of people from the most influential
spiritual leader to the lowest beggar will say that
British Government, while not interfering or pro-
hibiting the use of alcohol in their own country,
are stopping them here from the use of less intoxi-
cating drugs which they have been using from
time immemorial and which is also religiously
respected, and the prohibition will naturally be
followed by recourse to alcoholic stimulants and
other drugs.
36. From the enquiries that I have made, I
learn that alcohol is not substituted for any of
these drugs; but if the consumers of hemp drugs
find themselves in better circumstances, they begin
to use alcohol in addition to hemp drugs.
37. In my opinion the effects of charas smoking
are as bad as those of ganja. From a teetotaller's
point of view one is as bad as the other.
38. I cannot answer this question, as we have
got only one kind of genie used in Sind.
39. In this province every body will share with
me in saying that smoking of any preparation of
the hemp drug is more injurious than drinking it
or eating the same in the shape of majum, because
smoking has more stupefying effects than drinking
and eating.
40. The use of charas and ganja is never pre-
scribed by any school of native doctors as a medi-
cine, or as an ingredient in a medicine, but on
several occasions the drinking of mild liquid of
old hemp is prescribed by native doctors as a medi-
cine in the case of bleeding piles, dysentery and
stoppage of urine.
I have not heard that hemp is ever used in the
treatment of cattle diseases.
41. The moderate use of charas, ganja or bhang
will not prove beneficial in the case of those who
have never used it; but those who consume it
confess that the moderate use of these drugs
makes them in good mood for hard work and
exertion, and the use of hemp liquid is considered
as a preventive of disease in malarious and un-
healthy tracts.
It is difficult to say regarding the classes
minutely; but I refer to the moderate habitual use
of these drugs.
42. The moderate use of all the three drugs is
harmless, because I have never observed the
moderate consumer of any of these drugs inferior
intellectually or physically to those who do not
use them.
43. Moderate consumers are inoffensive to their
neighbours. 1 have exercised magisterial powers
for more than 26 years and no cases have come to
my notice showing that because a man happens
to be a moderate consumer of any of these drugs,
he has been offensive to his neighbours.
44. The immediate effect of the moderate use of
any of these drugs on the habitual consumer is
that he finds himself to be refreshed, and it pro-
duces a little intoxication, creates appetite and the
effects of intoxication last for a few hours. The
habitual moderate consumer feels himself very
uneasy if he does not get his smoke or dose at his
usual times.
45. The habitual moderate use of any of these
drugs is not proved to produce any noxious effects
— physical, mental or moral. It does not impair
the constitution in any way. It does not injure
the digestion or cause loss of appetite. It does not
cause dysentery, bronchitis or asthma. It does
not impair the moral sense or induce laziness of
habits or immorality or debauchery. It does not
deaden the intellect or produce insanity. These
drugs have been never known to produce insanity
if taken moderately.
46. In the case of those who use these drugs
habitually in excessive quantities, they are cer
¬ t h i n l y i n f e r i o r p h y s i c a l l y , m e n t a l l y a n d m o r a l l y ,
to their brothers who do not use the drugs or use
them moderately. But the habitual excessive use
produces permanent insanity only in those cases
where the consumer is physically weak and is not
well fed and clothed, and, on the other hand, in the
case of those who get good food and are well clad,
the excessive use of these drugs does not bring on
permanent insanity. Beyond this I cannot answer
this question.
47.
The habitual moderate use of any of these
drugs does not become a hereditary habit, and does
not affect the children of moderate consumers.