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gesticulates ; plays on imaginary musical instrument and sings; converses with
imaginary persons; illusions and delusions, usually of a pleasing nature ; ob-
jective of these very responsive to external impressions and suggestions; rarely
quarrelsome or combative. Then ensues condition of repose and quiet contem-
plation with fixed stare and immobile pupil. Then drowsiness and restless sleep,
in from 2 to 3 hours, lasting several hours; on waking, dullness, heaviness,
profound depression, and irritability lasting for many hours.
"Most medical officers serving in India will have seen, in the course of
their medico-legal duties, cases of irritable mania or of dementia, lasting for
many days or even years, attributed to prolonged excessive abuse of gánjá.
Our asylum records show numerous cases of insanity (often curable) recorded
as due to this cause.
"II. Physical effects.—In stage of exhilaration:—Conjunctiva reddened,
pupil immobile, venous turgescence of face and head, respirations increased in
frequency (by 3 or 4 per minute); temperature raised two degrees or more
(100° or 101° F.); skin dry ; a general condition of febrile excitement; vascular
tension increased; pulse quickened (by 10 beats or more per minute), hard,
jerky, irregular.
" At later stage of reaction and drowsiness, skin cold, dry, pale; tempera-
ture subnormal (97° F.) ; pulse slow, soft, compressible, very irregular ; res-
pirations lessened in frequency, and shallow; copious diuresis.
"These notes refer to doses pushed to produce decided effects. In every-
day life what we find is that gánjá is smoked mixed with about an equal quantity
of dry tobacco leaf, while bhang is drunk as a decoction. Gánjá is practically
never used as decoction or infusion, nor bhang smoked.
"In smoking gánjá , a chilam (not hooka) is used, i.e., the smoke is not
drawn through water. Ordinarily about 5 grains of gánjá and the same amount,
or ten grains, of dry tobacco leaf are smoked at a time. This produces no intoxi-
cant effect. It is smoked during a tiring march or at end of a hard day's work,
and is said to produce a feeling of comfort and to relieve sensations of weakness,
depression, or cold. After a few whiffs, during a halt on a journey, the man
will start again, refreshed. A vast number of hard-workers use gánjá in this way
and to this extent. Its habitual use does not necessarily seem to lead to increase
of dose or to abuse. One man whom I examined, a peon, had taken a pipe of
gánjá every evening for the last 16 years. He takes only one pipe—from 4 to 5
grains gánjá—every evening, while cooking his dinner, after the day's work is
done. He says it refreshes him and removes any feeling of tiredness. He says
that he has never increased the amount used, and does not wish to. He is a
steady, active, intelligent man, but looks thin and ill-nourished. This is an illus-
tration of the ordinary use of gánjá.
"It may be, and is by some, used merely for the purpose of producing
intoxication. In most of these cases I believe this is not attributable to a liking
for gánjá, but to a desire to induce a state of frenzy (as in the case of certain
religious mendicants possessed by the deity,' Sanyasis) or of intoxication.
"From 15 grains to 60 grains of gánjá will be smoked to induce this
condition, and be repeated frequently during the day. Large doses of bhang
(leaves of wild gánjá taken as infusion) are said to be more often used than
gánjá for producing this frenzied condition.
" I believe the close of bhang must be very large (2 drachms and upwards)
and frequently repeated to produce this effect. This condition of intoxication
is sometimes kept up for many days by repeated doses. It is probably cases
of this nature that we see in our medico-legal practice. I have never myself
seen any very marked intoxicant effect produced by taking the infusion of the
true bhang, i.e., leaves of wild gánjá." E. G. RUSSELL, M.B., B.SC.
Dr. Russell's note thus leads us to the consideration of the ordinary use of
hemp in India.
CHAPTER VII.— THE USE OF HEMP.
The chief use of hemp is as a substance that will give staying-power during
severe exertion or alleviate the feeling of muscular fatigue that accompanies
cessation front prolonged physical labour. It belongs to the same category as