125
Bhang — All day.
No.
45. Dulls these faculties.
Not to any appreciable extent.
Slightly.
No.
Yes; to some extent.
I have no experience on these points.
46. Would produce all the bad effects enumer¬
ated in question 45, and even induce insanity.
49. No. On the contrary, it affects men entirely
the other way, making them "useless."
51. I do not think so.
It makes men lazy and inclined to reply when
chided about anything. I know of no connection
with crime in this regiment.
53. Yes; a man may become perfectly maddened
by the excessive use of bhang, charas or ganja and
thus come to commit a crime of which he would
never have thought had he remained free from its
influence.
It is believed to have this effect, but I know of
no personal case.
54. No; I think not in the generality of cases,
except in the case of "Ghazis."
55. This is not done. Men wishing to do this
would employ some other drugs or poison, such as
opium or dhatura.
No, not unless mixed with some other stupefying
drug.
I know very little about these drugs myself,
never having studied the subject, and the above
information has been obtained from my Native
officers principally.
Answer No. 185.
20. Strength of the regiment—
(a) Combatants —
625
Hindustani Muhammadans
203
"
Rajputs
97
"
Brahmins
11
"
Jats
193
"
Ahirs
12
"
Nai and Kahar
2
Total Hindustanis
518
Afghans
2
Panjabi Muhammadans
29
"
Sikhs
46
"
Dogras
27
Brahmins
3
Total Panjabis
107
(b) Non-combatants
312
(c) Authorised camp followers
40
(a) Combatants—
Muhammadans
2
(b) Non-combatants—
Hindus
37
(c) Authorised camp followers—
Muhammadans
7
24. Drink bhang.
Combatants—
Sikhs, Panjab
3
Hindustani Muhammadans
2
Dogras, Panjab
2
Non-combatants—
Hindus
10
Authorised camp followers—
Hindus
4
25. On the decrease.
Reason not known.
28. Three pies per day.
32. None.
33. Moderate consumption of these drugs is
regarded in much the same way as moderate con¬
sumption of alcohol by Europeans.
None.
39. In moderation, neither the smoking, drink¬
ing, eating nor drinking hemp preparations are
injurious. In excess the one is as bad as the other
41. I consider that the moderate use of either
preparation may be beneficial in its effects, and
undoubtedly is of great value to the indigent
labourer, enabling him to perform more laborious
duties than he could otherwise do on his scanty
allowance of food, acting as it does as a nerve tonic
and stimulant, enabling him to sustain fatigue till
the end of the day, when he can obtain rest.
That this actually is the case, I can assert from
knowledge.
42. I have already stated that under the ordin¬
ary conditions of life of the poor cooly the moderate
use is beneficial, for the reasons already stated.
43. Entirely.
44. It allays fatigue, produces a feeling of rest
and comfort, promotes sleep, allays hunger.
In moderation, produces no intoxication, nor
does it injuriously affect appetite, though it lessens
exhaustion from want of food.
No longing or uneasiness results from the want
of this drug, provided exhaustion is not felt from
other causes such as want of proper food, or ex¬
cessive toil, inducing fatigue.
Very often a man can obtain his modicum of
ganja when he cannot obtain food.
45. Certainly not.
No.
No, on the contrary.
No; frequently relieves both asthma and bron¬
chitis.
No.
I have never seen a case in which any intellec¬
tual deterioration or mental disease could be cer¬
tainly attributed to the moderate use of any of
these drugs.
Speaking generally in the absence of special
knowledge, I am of opinion that these drugs are
of as great value in moderation in cases of mental
anxiety and worry as are alcohol and tobacco, and
possibly as harmful as alcohol and tobacco if used
to excess.
46. There can be no question that the excessive
use of these drugs is as injurious as the excessive
use of alcohol or tobacco.
49. The preparations of Indian hemp are un¬
doubtedly useful as stimulants in cases of defective
virile power. Consequently they are so used in
medicine.