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13. The cultivation of the hemp plant for ganja
is not restricted in this province. It is not, how-
ever. common to all districts, the conditions being
necessary for the cultivation. Ganja plants would
not grow in places where the rainfall was heavy or
the temperature low. The cultivation of hemp
plant for ganja in Mahableshwar and other similar
places would be impossible.
14 (a ) Ganja alone is prepared from the hemp
plant in the Satara district, about 330 acres of
land being under cultivation for the purpose.
(b) Charas is not prepared or sold here.
(c)Bhang is not prepared here. It is, as de
-
fined above, the powdered dust and leaves produced
by the handling of ganja. it is mostly used as
manure, and partly in some preparations called
ghota and dudhia.
15. (a ) The wild plant is not known here, and
so the several methods of preparations from the
cultivated and the wild plant cannot be distin
-
guished. Ganja from the cultivated plant is pre
-
pared thus:
—
The crop being ready for harvesting, the first
process is to cut the tops of the plants, and then
the buds and small leaves. The tops of the leaves
and the buds are then carried to a place prepared
for the purpose, and arranged in heaps and exposed
to the sun to dry. It is then trodden under foot
by men. When crushed it is turned over and
again exposed to the sun, the process of treading
being repeated about five times a day for four
days. In this way the tops, the leaves and the
buds become a cohesive mass owing to the resin
-
ous matter contained therein. The more the resin
-
ous matter, the better is the quality of ganja,.
The next process is that of winnowing, which re
-
moves loose leaves and dust. The ganja thus
finally prepared is in heavy green lumps showing
yellow fibres.
(b) In my answer to question No. 2, I have
defined what charas is. No preparation is made
from it. It is not sold or consumed by the people
in its original state, except by some solitary
bairagi or ascetic who happens to be on the spot
where ganja is prepared. He obtains a pill or two
of the scraped-off exudation from a cultivator at
the time of harvesting.
(c) Bhang, as defined above, is mixed and
pounded with spices and sugar, and the prepara
-
tion is called ghota. Another preparation of bhang
is called dudhia, which is prepared by mixing milk
to ghota.
Ganja is principally used in smoking. It is al
-
so used in a preparation called massala, which con
-
tains, besides ganja, certain other ingredients.
This massala is given to horses to eat when they
are fatigued by long journeys or when they are
suffering from cold. Charas is used in smoking
only. Bhang is used in drinking only,
1 6 . I h a v e a l r e a d y s t a t e d a b o v e t h a t b h a n g i s
nothing more than the powdered dust and leaves
of ganja. It does not require any process for its
preparation. It is produced by a handling of the
ganja. It is as if it were that bhang and ganja
go hand in hand. The wild plant is not known
here, and so I cannot say if ganja or charas can be
prepared from the plant, wherever grown.
1 7 . N o p r e p a r a t i o n s , i f a n y , o f t h e t h r e e d r u g s
are sold here. The classes of people who prepare
the preparations are the classes who use them.
The preparations are ghota and dudhia, and
these are prepared by persons from amongst
the agricultural and labouring classes, fakirs; bai
-
ragis, sadhus, etc.
18. Ganja and bhang deteriorate by keeping.
They lose the effect gradually. Ganja loses its
intoxicating property by half in the second year of
its production, and in the third year its value is
one-fourth of what it was in the beginning.
Bhang is valueless almost in the first year, it
being used as manure. With all the care ganja
will deteriorate.
19. Ganja is principally used for smoking. It
is also used in preparing massala for horses when
they are fatigued by long journeys or when they
are suffering from cold. Charas is used in smok-
ing only.
20. Charas is not a recognised drug of the dis
-
trict. There is very little use of it. A stray
bairagi or fakir happening to be on the spot where
ganja is manufactured might require it for smok
-
ing. So charas cannot be recognised as one of the
established drugs used in this district. Persons
from amongst the agriculturists, labourers. cart-
men, bairagis, fakirs, ghisaris (blacksmiths),
tambolis (pan-sellers), bagwans (fruiterers), attar
(colour sellers), maner (bangadi preparers), mul
-
lahs (Muhammadan priests), dervishes (who make
a show of tigers and bears), bahurupi (actors in
theatres), sarwans (camel drivers), and persons
from amongst the class of peons, whether in
Goverment service or private service, smoke ganja.
The proportion of the people who smoke ganja is
at the rate of about three to one hundred. They
smoke in their houses or places of residence.
21. Only flat ganja is used in this district for
, smoking.
22. No charas, whether native or foreign, is
chiefly used in this district. It is not imported.
23. Bhang is not used for smoking.
24. Bhang is not eaten but is drunk. There
are very few people who drink bhang, and they
are from amongst the class of bairagis, sadhus, or
fakirs.
25. The use of ganja is neither on the increase
nor decrease. From the figures of consumption,
it appears that it is just about what it has been
for some time. There is no use of charas, and
bhang is not much used.
26. Of the consumers of ganja there are about
80 per cent. who are habitual moderate consumers
and about 15 per cent, habitual excessive consu
-
mers, and about 5 per cent. who are occasional
excessive consumers. Charas and bhang are con
-
sumed in such small quantities in this district that
they require no special mention.
27. Habitual excessive consumers are mostly
from amongst the class of bairagis, sadhus and
fakirs; whilst the habitual moderate consumers
and occasional moderate consumers are from
amongst the classes mentioned in the answer to
question No. 20. There are no particular habits
of life or circumstances which lead to the practice
of consuming the drug.
28. The average allowance of ganja and the
average cost per diem to habitual consumers is two
tolas and six pies respectively. A habitual ex
-
cessive consumer requires on an average five tolas
worth of ganja, costing one anna and three pies,
including cost of tobacco.
29. In making massala for horses some ingre
-
dients have to be mixed with ganja; with charas
no ingredients are mixed. In making ghota,
sugar and spices, such as almonds, nutmeg, mace