17
forty tolas is too high, and I would reduce that to
five tolas.
I think it is a good thing to have some shops
in Bombay city, where the drugs are consumed on
the premises. It keeps the consumers under
notice. The shops are bound to close at a certain
hour, and the consumers to behave in an orderly
manner. This tends to regulate the practice, and
control the habits of consumers. The closing of
the chandu and madak shops is said to have really
increased the number from 14 shops to about 150
clubs. The latter are not open to inspection or
visit by the authorities. As a matter of fact, too,
consumption of ganja within licensed shops is
really small, and shows no serious evil.
In statement K on page 16 of my memorandum
the exports are of Bombay ganja, i.e., of ganja
produced in the Bombay presidency. "Foreign
Indian Ports" are mainly ports in Kathiawar.
I believe that all the ganja exported is grown in
the province. There was export ascribed to the
Central Provinces; but this was found to be a
mistake. The ganja exported has paid the trans-
port duty on removal from the districts in which
it is grown.
I believe that in ordinary magisterial work there
is no connection between hemp drugs and crime.
But there are certain crimes—murders and crimes
of violence—ascribed to ganja ; and there are also
certain statements regarding the use of the drugs
by Rajputs that point to its leading to violence.
I have never sifted these statements ; nor have
such facts come to my notice. On the other
hand, I have been told that the drugs make a man
timid. It is otherwise with alcohol. Among the
Bhils, in the wild parts of Gujarat and in such
districts as Thana, there are many crimes con
- n e c t e d w i t h a l c o h o l .
Mr, Almon and I have talked over the question
of the average dose on which the estimates of
consumption in Bombay city should be based.
We have also made further enquiries. We both
think that half a tola would be nearer the true
average than one tola. Mr. Almon would desire his
evidence to be corrected on this point.
10. Evidence of MR. J. MONTEATH, Collector and District Magistrate, _Bijapur.
1. I had practically no opportunity of obtain-
ing special information on the subject until I
came to Bijapur a year ago, and my attention was
not particularly attracted to it until orders for
the supply of information to the Commission
were issued.
2. The definitions given for ganja and bhang,
which names are used, may be accepted for this
district; but the term bhang is in some places
applied to the powder left in the bag after ganja
is handled and taken out. Charas is not known,
and bhang is said to be used only for the prepara
- t i o n o f t h e d r i n k c a l l e d " g h o t a . " T h e s o r t o f
ganja sold here is flat ganja.
3. I know no district in which the hemp plant
grows spontaneously.
7. The hemp plant has been cultivated in the
town of Bijapur for some years past, and is at
present being grown there and in Utnal in the
Bagewadi taluka for the production of ganja and
bhang. The areas sown have been—
Acres.
Guathas.
1888
0
33
1889
1
1
1890
0
20
1891
3
0
1892
13
0
1893
8
6
8. I infer from the larger sums paid for the
right to sell the drug that consumption is increas-
i ng, but I c a n a s s i gn no s pe c i a l r e a s on f or t hi s
increase, except perhaps the increase of spare
cash.
9. I can add nothing on this point to the de-
scription given by Rao Bahadur R. C. Artal in
paragraph 3 of his letter printed as an appendix
to the note of the Commissioner of Customs, Salt,
Opium and Akbari, forwarded to Government with
his letter No 4752, dated 11th September 1893.
Rao Bahadur R. C. Artal serves in Bijapur.
10. The plant is cultivated on behalf of the
contractor, a Marwari, under the supervision of
experts who come from the Satara district. The
operations common to the production of this and
other plants are performed by cultivators
b e l o n g - i n g t o t h e d i s t r i c t .
vol. vii.
11.
11. Not here.
13 There is no restriction of area. It is stated
in the Bombay Gazetteer (volume XXV, page
234) that the plant flourishes best at an elevation
of 4,000 to 7,000 feet above the level of the sea.
Rich friable moist loam is needed, and there must
be no shade.
14. Ganja and bhang only are prepared in this
district, and bhang to but a small extent. The
ganja produced in 1892 is said to have been about
560 mounds.
15. I can give no information on this point in
addition to what appears in Mr. Artal's report
above mentioned.
16.
Bhang is not prepared by the people in their
houses.
17. Ganja is prepared only by the contractor.
The only other preparation, so far as I can learn,
used in the district is gheta, and it is made and
drunk at festivals, particularly the Hob, by Mara
-thas and the other Hindu lower castes; occasion
- a l l y b y s o m e o f t h e h i g h e r c a s t e s ( n o t b y
L e n g a - y e t s ) a n d b y M u s a l m a n s .
18. I am told that ganja and bhang deteriorate
after two years, and that their use is then espe
-cially deleterious. I am not aware how deteriora
- t i o n c a n b e p r e v e n t e d .
19. Ganja is used only for smoking. Charas is
not used at all in this district.
20. So far as I can learn, the smoking of ganja
is almost confined in this district to Muhammadans
of the lower class, fakirs, Hindu ascetics and
mendicants, weavers, and some domestic servants.
The proportion of ganja smokers to the total
population is exceedingly small. I imagine not
so much as 1 per cent.
21. Flat ganja is used here.
22. None.
23. No.
24. So far as I can learn, bhang is hardly ever
eaten here, and is drunk only in the form of ghota
by the classes mentioned in the answer to question
17. I do not think the proportion of those who
so use it exceeds 5 per cent.
F