41
28. (a) One chilam or two chilams a day cost a
piec or less.
(b) 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 ghi, 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.
31. The habit (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. Beason is
that former is not 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, leaf 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. (b) A moderate use of ganja (and also
bhang) is good.
43. Yes.
45 and 46. Habitual excessive smoking is bad;
induces asthma in old age and dimness of sight.
It weakens the intellect, but never heard of its in-
ducing madness.
Habitual moderate use will have the same effect
but in a less degree; perhaps 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 live by his muscles. At present
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
can always be carried on secretly, without diffi-
culty.
70. Smuggling of ganja goes on very largely,
especially in the Hatta tahsil (where witness
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 1½ 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. It is 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 have 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
constantly 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 Damoh district.
There was also much desultory cultivation. 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.—If 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 ganja.
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 Government 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 heard 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 is a heavy burden upon them. The hemp
drugs are cheap in the Native States compared
with British territory, and still the consumption 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.
* Translation.
vol. vi. I