192
41. The moderate use of ganja and bhang pro-
duces an appetite for food, but constipates the
bowels. This effect is produced both on the
moderate habitual and moderate occasional con-
sumer.
42. I consider the moderate use of these drugs
to be harmful. Ganja produces headache and
cough, and bhang pains in the stomach with con-
stipation.
43. Moderate ganja and charas consumers are
sometimes offensive to their neighbours by being
noisy and abusive. Bhang drinkers are not offen-
sive to their neighbours.
44. The immediate effect of the moderate use
of ganja and charas on the habitual consumer is
refreshing ; they produce slight intoxication ; they
create an appetite ; and the effect lasts for about
one hour. The immediate after-effects is a feel-
ing of lassitude and dulness. The want of subse-
quent gratification produces longing and uneasi-
ness. As regards bhang, no immediate effect
is produced. Intoxicating is produced after
about one hour ; the drinker feels refreshed ;
his appetite is sharpened, and the effect lasts
about six hours. The after-effect is a slight
lassitude, The want of subsequent gratification
does produce a longing and uneasiness. The
difference between bhang and garda is that the
intoxicating effects of garda are greater than
bhang.
45. The habitual moderate use of ganja and
charas produces noxious physical, mental and
moral effects on the consumer to some degree. It
impairs the constitution in time. It injures the
digestion and causes loss of appetite in time. It
causes asthma in time. The habitual moderate
use of bhang or garda does not produce ill-effects
like the smoking of ganja and charas.
46. The habitual excessive use of all hemp
drugs is bad and harmful. The excessive use pro-
duces noxious effects, physical, mental, 'and moral.
51 and 52. No large proportions of bad charac-
ters in Bombay are habitual moderate or habitual
excessive consumers of hemp drugs.
53. I do not know myself of any cases in which
unpremeditated crimes violent or otherwise have
been caused by the excessive indulgence in hemp
drugs. I have known of a few cases of quarrel-
ling, where the persons abused and struck each
other with their hands in the ganja-smoking
shops. I have never heard or known of quarrels
in the bhang shops.
54. I do not know of any cases in which crimi-
nals have made use of hemp drugs to fortify them-
selves to commit a premeditated act of violence or
other crime.
55. I do not know of any cases in which crimi-
nals have stupefied their victims with hemp drugs
with a view to further their design in the com-
mission of a crime. I do not know if complete
stupefaction can be induced by any hemp drug
without admixture with some other drug.
102. Evidence of RAMCHANDRA KRISHNA. KOTIIAVALE, Brahmin, Inamdur, Taluka
Wai, in Satara District.
1. Having been an inhabitant of the district
and having bad various opportunities of coming
across people who are addicted to this vice and
also knowing some of the cultivators of the hemp
plant, I am to a certain extent in a position to
record my experience before the Hemp Commis-
sion.
2. Yes ; the definitions above defined tally with
the varieties known here.
3. None in the district I have been living in.
None to my knowledge.
4. By the very names given in this pamphlet
of questions.
Yes ; they do.
5. Dry climate, reddish black soil and ordinary
rainfall are necessary to the growth of the wild
hemp.
6. The growth of the wild hemp is somewhat
scattered.
7. Yes; there is cultivation of hemp plant for
production of ganja only in the district I live
in. Hemp plant is cultivated in abundance in
about ten villages in Khanapur taluka and in three
villages in Khatav taluka and in isolated villages
of Satara and Valva talukas. Lengre, Devikhind,
Valet, Sangola and Bhad in Khanapur taluka are
much famous for ganja.
8. There has been no large increase in the area
under cultivation. In 1890-91 the area under
cultivation amounted to about 41 acres of land.
9. Kind of soil .—Ganja is grown in well- irrigated
garden land and does not thrive in dry crop land.
The most suitable soil is the medium reddish
black description. Such soil is generally assessed
at from Rs. 3 to Rs. 7 per acre including water
rate.
Rotation.— The crop to be successful cannot be
grown in successive years. It should follow a pre-
vious year's crop of ground-nut, sugarcane, tur-
meric, chillies or garlic. It is found to suffer in
quality when grown on land which in the previous
year bears bajari, jowari, gram, wheat, or sweet
potatoes.
Preparation of soil.— The land selected for the
crop in this district is ploughed in the months of
February and March, a 12-ox plough being gene-
rally employed. The clods are then broken up by
a light plough. In the month of May the field is
manured at the rate of 24 carts per acre of ordi-
nary manure, the cost being about Rs. 12 per acre.
The system of penning sheep in the field is also
resorted to. The ]and is then again lightly
ploughed in order that the manure may be well
mixed with the laud and any clods that remain
are at the same time broken up. The land is then
ready to receive the crop by the beginning of
monsoon.
Seed.—The cultivators of this district like to
get the seed from Ahmadnagar, as they say that
crops grown from that seed are less liable to blight
than crops grown from Satara seed. It is also
said that the local seed produces an unusually large
proportion of male plants called bhangera. The
presence of male plants is distinctly injurious, and
large detection and immediate removal of such
plants form an important element in raising a
successful crop.
Price of seed.— The average price of Ahmad-
nagar seed is one see (capacity) per rupee, though
it is sometimes twice as dear. The seed is spheri-