Volume 6

Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1893-1894.

  • India. Hemp Drugs Commission.
Date:
2010
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1893-1894. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    61/444 (page 41)
    piec or less, (6) Can’t say. 29. Ganja is smoked with tobacco. Bhang is drunk in water with saunf, kasni, pepper, rose leaves, saffron, kakri seed; dhatura never used. For majum, ganja or by preference bhang, is boiled in gbi, and cardamoms, pepper, saffron mixed. The ghi, after the ganja (or bhang) is taken out, is allowed to harden, and is cut into cakes for eating. Used especially at the Holi festival. 30. Chiefly in company. Women and children do not use it. 81. The babit (ganja) is difficult to break off. No one does break it off except in jail Why should they try and do so? I do not think a moderate smoker would necessarily develop into an excessive one, 33. Bhang is by no means held in disrepute. Ganja is among respectable classes, Keason is that former is vot used to induce intoxication, but the latter is so used. Never heard of plant being worshipped. 34. It would be a serious privation for a man to lose his ganja, He would be unable to do his ordinary work. 35. The use of ganja could not be stopped. People would get it as they do now from native territory. People will have some kind of stimu- lant. ‘Thinks that liquor drinkers and opium or madak consumers are separate classes from each other and from ganja smokers, A man deprived of ganja would not derive satisfaction from liquor or opium, But if one be abolished, the consump- tion of the others would increase. 36. No. 39. Smoking ganja is more injurious than drinking of bhang or ganja leat decoctions. Never heard of any bad result of the latter, 40 Bhang is sometimes used as a medicine for men and horses, not for cattle. 41, (4) A moderate use of ganja (and also bhang) is good. 43. Yes. 45 and 46. Habitual excessive smoking is bad ; induces asthma inold age and dimness of sight. it weakens the intellect, but never heard of its in- ducing madness, Habitual mederate use will have the same effect but iu a less degree; perbaps in some cases no result at all. 53 and 54. No; excessive ganja would make a man foolish and not foolhardy, 55. No, it would not induce stupefaction like dhatura, 58 and 59. Has seen two excise systems before the present— (1) Unrestricted cultivation. (2) Cultivation by license in any village in any district. Thinks this latter system should be reintro- duced. Consumption of ganja can’t be stopped and should not be. It is a necessity for the poor man who has to Jive by his muscles. At presént all the profit goes to the Native States: ‘thinks the Government should try and intercept this ; cultivators also lose a profitable crop, If the sale of ganja is stopped, it will be smuggled more than it is. Smuggling and consumption of ganja ean always be carried on secretly, without dith- culty. i especially a the Hatta tahsil oo a ro lives) which has Native States on three sides and separate villages interspersed. Much ganja is grown there simply for importation into British districts. The price in Native States is 14 seers per rupee. Here the same amount of Govern. ment ganja would cost R15. A good many men are caught, but for everyone who is caught, there are ten who are not. Doesn’t know if the ganja licensed vendors are the principal smug- glers, but thinks it probable. Does not think average consumption less in this district than in Native States. Itis not possible to distinguish smuggled ganja from Government ganja. Oral evidence. Question 20.—It is true that no labourers ab- stain from ganja, and that they work well upon it. This is true of the tahsils in Saugor, Damoh and Jabalpur in which I bave served. Question 25.—Notwithstanding the rise of price in ganja, the use of it is increasing. Smuggling also is on the increase, especially from Punna, Ajeagadh, Bijawar, Charkari into Saugor and Damoh, People cannot reduce their consumption of intoxicants, and the number of consumers is eonstantly receiving addition with the increase of population. Mr, Nicholls was persuaded that the hemp drugs were deleterious, and he hoped to reduce consumption by increasing the price. By measures adopted in his time cultivation was checked, Formerly ganja was cultivated in Saugor. I myself gave licenses for cultivation in Hatta. It was cultivated in Magrun village in the Saugor district and in the Damolh district, There was also much desultory cnltivation, In spite of raising the price, consumption was not reduced. ‘There is very imperfect control across the border, and prices are low there. Question 34,—Ganja is necessary to the work- man who is accustomed to it, Question 35.—I1f ganja were prohibited in States as well as British territory, people might find other means of intoxication, such as dhatura. I am not aware that dhatura is used at present. When bairagis and such people are entertained, they are generally given money to buy anja. Those who are not liquor-drinkers would not take to liquor. The hemp drugs are an old stimulant. They do much good to the people. It is a matter in which Goverument need not inter- fere. Question 45.—I have not seen any cases of people becoming insane through ganja, nor heard of any. ‘The intoxication lasts but a short while. Consumers are affected in their intellect, but it does not go as far as madness. I have never heard of people becoming insane through use of dhatura, but the intoxication of dhatura is very violent. I have beard of men getting tremblings from liquor and even dying. Question 59.—The advantage of the change I propose is that the people will get the drugs cheaper and in greater quantity. At present the price isa heavy burden upon them. The hemp drugs are cheap in the Native States compared with British territory, and still the cousumption in British territory is not less than across the border, This is due to the prevalence of smuggling, and to the fact that the people will have ganja. vol. vi.