250
as alcoholic stimulants are not considered to be
cooling and refreshing in their effects.
36. Alcohol is not being substituted to any
extent for any of these drugs. Alcohol is used by
people for its own sake.
37. Do not know, as ganja is rarely smoked in
Sind; and I could not get hold of a ganja smoker
to describe its effects.
38. Do not know.
39. Do not know, as there is no preparation of
hemp, the smoking of which is considered to be
less injurious than drinking or eating the same.
The smoking of all the known preparations of
hemp are considered to be more injurious than
those which are drunk or eaten.
40. The answer to this question will be found
in Appendix A. All Native Doctors are guided by
the instructions given in Makhzan adviyah and
use all the medicines according to their properties
as expounded in that book.
I do not know whether any of them are used
in the treatment of cattle diseases.
41. (a) As a food accessory, the moderate use
of bhang is beneficial, and of charas, it is not
beneficial. As a food digestive both bhang and
charas are not beneficial ; bhang in the cold season
and charas always.
(b) Bhang and charas do not give staying-
power except under exposure to heat and cold. I
know from my own experience that a bowl of
preparation of bhang in its light liquid form gives
staying-power under severe exposure to the heat of
sun, and it is a common saying that a drink of
bhang has the effect of making the sky look over-
cast and weather cloudy. The use of bhang
alleviates fatigue in hot season. Persons addicted
to the use of bhang and charas take their accus-
tomed allowance generally after they are free from
work requiring manual labour. Ordinarily their
time is about 10 o'clock in the morning and
5 o'clock in the afternoon, A smoke of charas is al-
so taken at the time of going to bed in the night in
order to get sleep. Only beggars who sit
" Dharna" that go on smoking charas without
taking food and thus deaden their feelings and
appetite until they are paid alms. Smokers of
charas and drinkers of bhang, specially those who
take them in excess, are notorious for their
sluggishness after they take these drugs. When
the intoxication comes on, they feel sleepy and
cannot exert much, as their bodies become heavy
for them to drag about and lose their wonted
lightness.
(c) No ; on the contrary, the presence of too
much fluid in the system of drinkers of bhang
subjects them to constant attacks of fever and
other diseases in malarious and unhealthy tracts.
Please see also Appendix A on this point.
(d) The moderate use of the thin liquid prepar-
ation of bhang alleviates thirst, refreshes the
drinkers and stimulates their appetite in the hot
season.
All classes use the watery preparation of the
bhang and their numbers have been given in
paragraphs 24 and 26. I refer to both moderate
habitual as well as to moderate occasional use of
the drug.
42. In the hot season in the Upper Sind dis-
tricts, where the heat is intense and weather dry
to the extreme degree, the moderate use of the
light watery preparation of bhang is both beneficial
and harmless, It acts as a diaphoretic, stimulant,
diuretic and refrigerent. Its moderate use
throughout the hot season from the middle of
March to the middle of October does not in any
way tend to the engendering of any of the diseases
and disorders described in Appendix A. In this
respect 1 differ from the conclusions arrived at by
the author of the Makhzan adviyah, as in this
country in the strong heat and dry climate we find
natural antidotes for counteracting any ill-effects
likely to arise from the use of bhang in its liquid
form. Even in the cold season there is sufficient
heat and dryness in the climate to counteract to
a certain extent the evil consequence of using the
preparation in its light watery form. The effects
of charas, on the contrary, are most strong, and
combined with intense heat and dryness Of the
climates, its moderate use even cannot be
considered to be harmless.
43. Yes; they are inoffensive.
44. (1.) Bhang.— It is refreshing, produces
moderate degree of intoxication after an hour
or so, allays hunger in the commencement, and
creates appetite, when intoxication comes on. The
effect lasts from 3 to 6 hours. Its after-effects are
laziness, heaviness of limbs, flatulence, etc., in the
cold season.
(2.) Charas.— Is not refreshing, but produces
intoxication immediately. It does not allay
hunger, but creates appetite. Its effects last for
one or two hours only.
The want of subsequent gratification does pre
¬duce longing in habitual consumers of the drug.
45. The habitual moderate use of light watery
preparation of bhang in the hot season does not
produce any noxious effects, physical or mental ;
it does not impair the constitution, injure diges
¬ t i o n o r c a u s e l o s s o f a p p e t i t e , p r o d u c e d y s e n t e r y ,
bronchitis or asthma. But the moderate use of
charas does produce noxious effects, physical,
mental and moral. It impairs the constitution,
specially the brains, on account of its hot and dry
effects ; it does not injure the digestion or cause
loss of appetite, as its moderate use does not
affect the bowels nor does it cause dysentery, bron-
chitis or asthma. Among Mussalmans the moder-
ate use of bhang and charas impair the moral
sense and induce habits of immorality, but not of
debauchery. The moderate use of charas deadens
the intellect, but does not produce insanity. Bhang
does not deaden the intellect or produce insanity
by its moderate use.
46. The habitual excessive use of bhang and
charas produces noxious effects, physical, mental
and moral. It impairs the constitution, injures
the digestion, causes loss of appetite, produces
weakness of lungs, the use of bhang on account
of its unfavourable properties stated in Appendix
A, and charas on account of its strong hot and
dry effects. It is a common saying that the habi-
tual excessive use of these drugs acts on the human
system and undermines it the same way as salt
deteriorates the laud which is impregnated with it,
It impairs the moral sense, induces laziness,
habits of immorality, but not of debauchery, as
their masculine powers are weakened to the lowest
degree, as is shown in Appendix A. It deadens
the intellect and produces insanity ; but the habi-
tual excessive use of bhang alone produces insanity
very rarely ; it is the combined excessive use of
bhang and charas that produce insanity. Being
not a professional man in medicines, I cannot
say of what type their use produces the insanity.
My impression is that the use produces dementia.