( 63 )
matter employed by the two is, dose for dose, practically identical, the effects
produced by the use of the two substances are also practically identical,—at all
events they seem to be indistinguishable. Charas, however, is often used in a
simple manner as a stimulant without being smoked. It is a common habit in
the Himalayas w hen the hemp plants are mature for people to rub a head
between the palms of the hands and thus remove a quantity of resin. Water
is then taken up between the two hands and drunk. In this way, therefore, a
little charas is taken. The physiological effects of the drug, it is needless to
say, are as little apparent in such a case as they are in the every-day use of
charas or gánjá as food accessories.
When given to a cat a dose of one gramme (over 15 grains) of powdered
gánjá produced decided effects. The animal in about an hour had the pupils
decidedly dilated and walked unsteadily. There was, however, no great evidence
of excitement ; there seemed to be increased sensitiveness to light, perhaps
explicable by the dilated state of the pupils, and sounds seemed to be exaggerated,
though this was not so marked as in the case of an animal to which resin was
given. In spite of the difficulty in walking, the cat ate readily while most
strongly under the influence of the drug.
So far the effects mentioned have been those of the crude drug, which has
not been affected in any way by treatment with alcohol or other re-agents.
The effects of the essential oil and the resin have now to be alluded to.
The physiological action of the essential oil apart from the resin is unfor-
tunately not yet thoroughly known. Bohlig and Personne describe it as having
powerful effects when inhaled. Personne says it causes a sensation of shudder-
ing and a desire of locomotion, followed by prostration, and sometimes by syn-
cope. I was unable to find that it had any such effect. In addition to the
ammonia, a warmly aromatic, camphoraceous vapour evidently passed off, and
this it was impossible with the apparatus at my command to condense. But
there was nothing unpleasant about it, and the remaining substance, which has
the characteristic smell of old as opposed to fresh gánjá, did not produce any of
the effects described by Personne. Valenta, does not mention these or other
effects.
The physiological effects of the resin appear to vary very greatly in
different subjects and in different samples. Sometimes excitement and halluci-
nations occur. The latter, however, are usually of the nature of perversions of
actual sensations and impressions. Time and space seem to be magnified and
sounds to be increased. Very often great nervousness is causedby this inability
to estimate the relationship of the subject to his environment, though at times
the sensations which result are pleasureable, and there is instead of the ner-
vousness a feeling of exaltation. After a time, however, this stage, which
may indeed not be present at all, is succeeded by one of heaviness and drowsi-
ness, although the drowsiness also may be absent and the subject be perfectly
conscious of his surroundings, but completely unable to exert his will suffi-
ciently to move or to speak, or in any way to indicate his feelings or desires.
In certain cases in Indian subjects it has been observed that at this stage a
cataleptic condition ensues ; 1 this has not been noted in European subjects,
though muscular disturbances indicated by convulsions have been recorded. 2
But though there may not have been any drowsiness with this stage, it ends
in sleep, from which the subject wakes with no bad effects.
The great diversity of results obtained—and these results, it should be
noted, are quite apart from the differences, to be noted presently, that arise from
the use of samples of extract obtained from gánjá of different ages—indicate how
large a part of the effect produced is due to idiosyncracy in the subject. The
full importance of this fact will be apparent when the every-day effects of gánjá
are considered. The idiosyncracy is, strangely enough, strongly racial as well
as individual. Of the instances known to me where Europeans have been
under the influence of the drug, no case of joyous excitement has occurred.
And this must not be supposed to be due to the fact that Personne's volatile
oil, which he describes as physiologically active, is absent; for in European
subjects the effects are similar, whether it is the total extract or only the purified
1 O'Shaughnessy, Dispensatory, p. 593.
2 Stillé, Therapeutics, vol. i, p. 772.