192 REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94. [CH. X.
pleasure, vigour, ready wit, capacity for hard work, and sharpness for busi-
ness; it has a quieting effect on the nervous system, and removes restlessness
and induces forgetfulness of mental troubles; all sorts of grotesque ideas rapidly
pass through the mind, with a tendency to talk; it brightens the eyes, and,
like a good cigar, gives content; the man feels jolly, sings songs, and tells good
stories; it causes bravery in the brave and cowardice in the timid, and, like
alcohol, brings out the real character of the man. In young men it may give rise
to sensual thoughts, and aphrodisiac effects are mentioned. Some witnesses,
on the contrary, state that the drug is not refreshing, and that the consumer is
sometimes sleepy and sometimes talkative; or there is no tendency to talk: the
conjunctiva become suffused and red, and the moisture dries in the throat and lips;
the man becomes peevish, stupefied, sees double; and occasionally it may |cause
vomiting. Regarding the question of intoxication, witnesses speak of exhilaration
and slightly dizzy sensation; a little intoxication, but no stupefaction; a feeling of
"briskness" followed by sinking, but no stupefaction; a little heaviness in the eyes,
slight narcotic effects, or stupor more or less complete. Others say that the first
effect is exciting, then soothing; while some describe the effects as those of
intoxication of varying degrees, from moderate to dead drunk. According to
certain witnesses, the intoxication of hemp drugs differs from the alcoholic in
that only those unaccustomed to the drug are affected, or that intoxication is not
much marked in old consumers. Some witnesses state that the drugs allay
hunger; others that these effects only result from excessive use; while others deny
the power of the drug to allay hunger under all conditions apparently. Similar
contradictory statements are made in connection with the alleged power of the
drug to create appetite. On this point, however, it may be of interest to note
that O'Shaughnessy, as a result of observation, records the fact that hemp
drugs in small doses possess an extraordinary power of stimulating the digestive
organs: "the appetite became extraordinary" is the remark he makes in
describing the symptoms induced in certain of his students by the administration
of 1/4 grain doses of the resin. A Sind witness, No. 16, says: "It sharpens the
appetite, and in this respect the action of the drug is certain and to be depend-
ed on." These are the immediate effects mentioned in the evidence. No doubt
some of them would only result from an unaccustomed or excessive dose.
Duration of these effects.
486. In connection with the period during which the effects last, it is very diffi-
cult to arrive at any general conclusions, as so much
depends on individual idiosyncrasy, on habit, dosage,
and on the manner in which the drug is exhibited. According to Dr. Russell's
experiments, the mental effects appear in from three to five minutes, and
the drowsiness and restless sleep may last several hours in cases in which the drug
was pushed to produce decided effects. Assistant Surgeon J. E. Bocarro gives
fifteen minutes as the period at which intoxication commences after ganja smoking;
in the case of charas, with the first pull at the chillum. In the case of ganja, the
effects last from half to one hour or much longer, and in charas from fifteen to
twenty minutes. With bhang the symptoms may set in from twenty to thirty
minutes, or may be much delayed; and, according to Assistant Surgeon Bocarro,
may last on an average two hours, or, according to a Bombay medical witness
(No. 91), six to twelve hours. According to Dr. Russell's Assam experiments, the
effects of two drachms of bhang drunk as goonta came on slowly and disappeared
in three hours. With a solution of the resin in alcohol, thirty drops of the tincture