42
sive smokers would become insane; not fit to go to
the Colaba Asylum, but creatures that are unfit for
anything except smoking. I have seen such in
temples, fakirs and such people, in temples all day
smoking with red eyes. None of them insane
such as you would send to the asylum. I have
not seen an insane person from hemp drugs. I do
not know, of course, how lunatic asylum statistics
are prepared. I do not think there is a popular
belief that ganja makes a man mad, but that it
makes him thus indifferent to the affairs of life
and taking to smoking at the temple. I am sure
that there is no popular belief that ganja is respon
-sible for a large proportion of the lunatics in
asylums. I speak of Gujarat.
Question 59.–I think that drugs are cheaper
than liquor. If they are made equally dear, then
people will take to liquor, which is an objection.
Also I think that for political and religious reasons
the taxation of drugs should not be raised. I would
not, however, abolish the present taxes, to which
the people have become accustomed. The hold that
the ascetics, sadhus and fakirs have on the people
cannot be overrated in its political connection with
this question. It would bring agitation(at present
confi ned t o t he bi gher cl asses) down t o t he l ower
classes, who follow these sadhus completely. The
sadhus and fakirs use the drugs religiously.
25. Evidence of RAO BAHADUR VYANKATESH BAPUJI WADEKAR, Deputy
Collector, Ahmednagar.
1. My duty requires me to examine ganja and
bhang shops. It also brings me sometimes into
contact with men cultivating ganja.
2. Except round ganja all these definitions may
be accepted for this province. These products are
locally known by the names here given in this
question.
3. I have no knowledge of the districts where it
spontaneously grows.
4. It is not known by different names in this
district, since it does not grow here.
5 and 6. The wild hemp plant is not grown in
this district, so the information called for regard
- i n g i t i s n o t a v a i l a b l e .
7. Yes. The cultivation of the hemp plant for
production of ganja, bhang and its seeds is made
at the following places in this district, in my
charge in the quantity given against them
—
QUANTITY OF
TALUKA.
VILLAGE.
Ganja.
Bhang.
Newasa .
1 Kukane.
About
800
maunds of
ganja.
. . .
2 Tardi.
3 Mangrul .
4 Bhenda.
Shewgaum.
5 Chendule.
6 Dewgari.
7 H ivre.
Only seed.
. . .
8 Miri Maka .
1 Tisgaum. 300 maunds
of ganja.
30 maunds
of bhang.
2 Nundanga.
3 Gevrai .
Kopergaum taluka produces 300 maunds of
ganja only.
8. Since the introduction of the Abkari Act,
there has been decrease in the area under cultiva
- t i o n , o w i n g t o t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s i m p o s e d o n t h e s a l e
of ganja and the necessity of obtaining permission
to prepare ganja though not to grow it.
9. Irrigated and well-manured black soil is
required for its cultivation. It is sown exactly
like jowari. Hoeing and weeding are required to
be done every fortnight. The season for sowing
ganja is about the end of July. One month after
the seed begins to geminate, a man is required to
examine daily the plants and destroy the male
ones, lest they should cause the neighbouring
female plants to fail. The hemp plant takes
three months to produce flowering tops.
10. No. They are of the same class as other
agricultural cultivators.
11 and 12. No.
13. No. Its cultivation is common to all
districts. It is grown in almost all the talukas of
this district more or less except Jamkhed and
Akola, the soil of which is not adapted to the cul
- t i v a t i o n o f t h e h e m p p l a n t , w h i c h r e q u i r e s b l a c k
rich soil, which is rare in these talukas owing to
there being hills in them. The conditions favour
-able to the cultivation of this plant are hot cli
- m a t e , b l a c k o r r e d s o i l , a n d t h e r a i n f a l l s h o u l d b e
moderate.
14. All these products are prepared in this pro
-vince. Where and to what extent these are pre
- p a r e d a r e m e n t i o n e d i n a n s w e r N o . 7 .
15. The preparation of the cultivated hemp
plant is made in several particulars, such as (1)
majum otherwise called yakuti, (2) gulkand, (3)
boja, (4) bhang or ghota, (5) charas. The pre
- p a r a t i o n o f t h e c u l t i v a t e d h e m p p l a n t i s m a d e i n
several particulars, such as majum or yakuti, gul
- k a n d , b o j a , g h o t a , c h a r a s , b h a n g a n d g a n j a . T h e
methods of the preparation are as under :—
Ma j u m o r y a k u t i . — F i r s t
d r i e d h e a d s o f g a n j a
are perfectly cleaned and washed with water.
Afterwards they are mixed with ghee in the pro-
portion of four seers of ganja to one seer of ghee.
Then the mixture is kept boiling continuously for
two or three days, adding water to it to prevent
the ghee being dried up and to extract the essence
till the colour of the ghee is changed to green.
Then it is filtered into another pot and allowed to
remain undisturbed for some time. The green
coloured ghee freezes and floats upon the surface
of water. It is then gently taken out by means
of blades of knives. This ghee is then mixed
with melted sugar in the ratio of four seers of
sugar to five tolas of the ghee, and other sweet-
scented spices are added to it. The mixture is
then formed into pieces called majum or yakuti.
Gulkand.—Gulkand is prepared by a mixture
of sugar and rose flowers. This mixture is kept
for several days in the sun in an air-tight pot.
Afterwards the heads of ganja are perfectly clean
- e d a n d m i x e d w i t h t h e s o - p r e p a r e d g u l k a n d , w h i c h
is chiefly used by some of the rich.
Boja.— Sixteen seers of pounded jowari is first
boiled and then dried up. To this koshtkolanjan
(22 tolas), bhang (two pounds), davana (five tolas),
fine shoots of jowari (ten tolas), marwa (five tolas),
and kachur (five tolas) are mixed. This mixture
is kept in a pot for one day and is then called
boja. It is mixed with water in the ratio of 15