156
REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94.
[APP.
"3. That except those who cultivate bhang or ganja in this State, and those persons or
their agents who may have been licensed by the Subha to sell bhang, ganja, or the prepara-
tions thereof, no person shall sell the aforesaid articles.
"4. Cultivators of bhang and ganja in this State are permitted by the last preceding clause
to sell bhang, ganja, or the preparations thereof. But these articles shall be sold only to those
persons who shall have been licensed by the Subha to sell them, and to no other persons.
"5. Any person desirous of having in his possession, or of transporting from one place to
another in this State, a larger amount of bhang, ganja, or the preparations thereof than what is
permitted by the preceding clause shall obtain a license from the Subha for so doing.
"6. Any person cultivating bhang or ganja, who sells bhang, ganja, or the preparations
thereof to persons other than the licensees, or any person who possesses without a license from
the Subha more than a seer of ganja or the preparations thereof, or more than 4 seers of bhang
or the preparations thereof, or who sells without a license from the Subha, bhang or ganja, or
the preparations thereof, or transports them from one place to another in this State without
a license from the Subha, shall on conviction before a Magistrate be liable to be punished
with fine which may extend to Rs. 200 or with simple imprisonment for a term which may
extend to three months; and the articles seized (that is bhang, ganja, or the preparations
thereof) shall also be liable to confiscation.
"7. Inamdars, jaghirdars, and other hakdars, who may be in the enjoyment of the rights
of possessing, selling, or causing to be sold, bhang, ganja, or the preparations thereof, and who
may suffer loss by the withholding of those rights, shall lay their claims for compensation
before the Subha within one year from the date of this notification.
"8. Any officer of the departments of Police, Revenue, Customs, Abkari, Opium, and
Forest may detain and search, in any open place or on the public roads any person whom he
has reason to believe to be guilty of an offence under the preceding clause 6. When the
search is to be made by entering a building, it may be done by a police officer not inferior in
rank to a Naib Fouzdar, or by an officer of Revenue, Customs, Abkari, Opium, and Forest de-
partments, superior in rank to a Karkoon, or by any other person authorized by the Subha in
this behalf.
"9. Any offence committed under the preceding clause 6 by any person shall be inquir-
ed into by any police officer not inferior in rank to a Naib Fouzdar, or any officer of the De-
partments of Revenue, Customs, Abkari, Opium, and Forest, superior in rank to a Karkoon.
"10. Any Magistrate convicting an offender under the terms of this notification may
grant to any person who has contributed to the arrest and conviction of the offender a reward
not exceeding one-fourth of the realized amount of the fine imposed, or the value of the
articles confiscated in the case.
"11. Nothing contained in this notification shall be deemed to affect the right of medical
practitioners, chemists, or druggists or vendors of medical preparations, to prepare, sell, or
supply bhang, ganja, or the preparations thereof for bona fide medical purposes.
"12. This notification shall come into force on the 1st of February 1892."
169. Importation and sale of this drug is, I can say, a State monopoly since February
1892.
170. Previous to the introduction of the monopoly system, everybody was at liberty to
import bhang and ganja on payment of customs duty, except at large places, which were leased
out to the highest bidder. Exportation of bhang and ganja was not restricted, nor was home
consumption regulated. Every street had its own shop and anybody could sell it with
impunity.
171. With a view to introduce better reforms and to bring the sale of the drug under
the Government control in order to restrict importation and sale, the State monopoly was in-
troduced.
172. The chief control in regard to these drugs now rests with the divisional Subha
assisted by the Abkari Superintendent, who has a number of Inspectors under him, to super-
vise the licensed shops, and to prevent commission of offences connected with the illicit im-
portation or sale of the drug.
173. The Sir Subha is the chief central authority who leases out the right of vending and
examines annually the divisional administration carried on by the Subha.
174. The farm for sale of the drug is either given for a year or three years. The follow-
ing are the figures for the four divisions:—
(British.)
Prants.
Rs. A. P.
Baroda
6,051 0 0
Kadi
3,580 10 4
Navsari
2,026 0 0
Amreli
1,501 0 0