217
vated hemp plant for (A) nil, (B) eating, and
(C) drinking in the province of Gujarat.
(b) The wild hemp plant is practically unknown
in Gujarat.
16. Bhang is prepared generally by the people
in their houses for private consumption; however,
some people prepare and sell bhang to customers
for drinking without a license at Surat. Bhang
is prepared from the hemp plant wherever grown
by cultivation in Gujarat, but I am not aware of
the mode of preparing ganja or chains also from
the wild plant wherever grown, as its cultivation
or preparation is unknown in Gujarat. Ganja
is only imported from the Ahmednagar district
for sale by the farmers, which consumers buy
from licensed shops and prepare it for their own
private consumption with the admixture of
tobacco.
17. Bhang is prepared by Hindus and Muham-
madans for private consumption or sale in their
respective castes owing to religious prejudice,
under which a Hindu would not drink bhang
prepared by a Muhammadan with his water ;
however, a Muhammadan shall have no objection
to drink bhang prepared by a Hindu with his own
w a t e r . I n a s i m i l a r m a n n e r g a n j a i s w a s h e d w i t h
water, mixed with tobacco and smoked by Hindus
and Muhammadans separately owing to religious
prejudice.
18. Bhang and ganja deteriorate by keeping
for a long time. They do not quite lose their
effect within two years. They keep good for
nearly one year with ordinary care, but commence
to deteriorate in their intoxicating properties
gradually to the end of the second year, and be-
come useless towards the end of the third year,
when they are usually destroyed. The causes of
deterioration are exposure, dampness, and long
keeping ; no special measures can be taken to pre-
vent deterioration, except keeping them in dry
vessels and places for the above periods. As
charas is neither imported nor allowed to be sold
by the farmers or licensees in Gujarat, I am un-
able to answer this query with respect to that
drug.
19. Ganja is used only for smoking, and charas
is practically unknown in Gujarat.
20. Hindu and Muhammadan religious mendi-
cants, such as fakirs, sadhus, &c., residing in
burial grounds, temples„ and charitable religious
places, chiefly smoke ganja. However, it is also
smoked by middle and lower classes of Hindus
and Muhammadans, who generally contract the
habit in associating with such mendicants. The
proportion of ganja-smokers cannot be ascertained
without official
r e l i a b l e s t a t i s t i c s . C h a r a s i s p r a c t i c a l l y u n k n o w n i n G u j a r a t .
21. As only flat ganja is imported and sold by
the Government farmers in Gujarat, round or
chug ganja is practically unknown, and conse-
quently no choice is left to the people to prefer
a particular kind of ganja for smoking in Gujarat.
22. No charas, native or foreign, is either im-
ported or used in Gujarat, under the terms of the
existing license granted to the farmers for bhang,
ganja, and pak.
23. Bhang is never used for smoking in any
localities by any classes of people and to any
extent in Gujarat.
24. Muhammadans and Hindus eat bhang
to a limited extent, but both classes of people
drink bhang in almost all localities where people
vol. vii
are addicted to its use; the proportion of bhang
eaters and drinkers cannot be ascertained in the
absence of official statistics.
25. The use of ganja and bhang is on the
increase in Gujarat, which is apparent from the
abkari administration reports, and the increased
amounts of revenue realised for the current farms
of bhang, ganja and pak in the Gujarat district
of Surat, Broach, Kaira, and Ahmedabad. The
use of charas is unknown in Gujarat.
28. (a) The average allowance of habitual
moderate consumers of bhang is ¾ tola costing one
pie, and that of ganja is half tola, costing three
pies per diem.
(b) The average allowance of habitual excessive
consumers of bhang is six tolas, costing nine pies,
and that of ganja is five tolas, costing annas two
and pies six. However, there are very rare habitual
excessive consumers of ten tolas of bhang costing
fifteen pies and ten tolas of ganja costing five
annas per diem. The use of charas is practically
unknown in Gujarat.
29. (a) Black pepper is ordinarily mixed with
bhang and tobacco with ganja.
(b) The ingredients exceptionally mixed with
bhang are black pepper, sugar, rose-flowers, car-
damoms, poppy seeds, almonds, milk, carraway
seeds, etc., flavouring ingredients, and dried fruits
according to the taste of higher classes of consum-
era which is commonly named bhang massala,
while nothing is exceptionally mixed with ganja
beyond tobacco. Dhatura is not used in mixing
with bhang and ganja. The object of the admix-
ture of the above flavouring ingredients and dried
fruits with bhang, called bhang massala, is to
render the preparation pleasant to the taste and
mild in its effects. The common bhang massala
is composed of pepper, poppy seeds, rose-flowers,
carraway seeds and sugar, which is used by the
middle classes of the people.
30. The extent of the consumption of bhang
and ganja in solitude or in company cannot be
ascertained without reliable statistics ; however,
their consumption is mainly confined to the male
sex, but not to any time of life. It is not usual
for children to consume bhang or ganja. The
consumption of charas is practically unknown in
G ujarat.
31. The habit of consuming bhang or ganja
may easily be formed by frequenting the society
of the consumers of such drugs. The habit is not
difficult to break off. There is a tendency in the
case of bhang and ganja for the moderate habit to
develop into the excessive when one is associated
with habitual excessive consumers.
32. There is a religious ceremony called " Abhisek " of the Mahadev in temples performed
by Brahmins, in which some prepared bhang mix-
ture is dribbled through a pot hung over the head
of the Mahadev on certain occasions ; but simple
water may be used instead when the bhang mix-
ture is not available. The use of bhang and ganja
is not regarded as essential in connection with any
social or religious customs.
33. The consumption of bhang and ganja is not
favourably regarded by considerate people, except
the habitual consumers. There is no public
opinion, social or religious, in regard to the prac-
tice. The use of bhang and ganja is generally in
disrepute, except amongst habitual
c o n s u m e r s , w h o a r e a d d i c t e d t o t h e i r u s e . T h e r e i s n o c u s t o m
of worshipping the hemp plant on certain occa-
sions by certain sects of the people in Gujarat.