315
and commit minor thefts. It has no connection
with crime of any special character.
52. Bad characters are not generally habitual
excessive consumers of any of these drugs; and
there seems to be no connection between excessive
use of any of these drugs and crime, because when
they are once fully under the influence of these
drugs they are quite incapacitated even to move
about.
53. Excessive indulgence in any of these drugs
does not incite to unpremeditated crime. I do not
know of any case in which it has led to temporary
homicidal frenzy.
54. These drugs are not used by criminals to
fortify themselves to commit a premeditated act of
violence or other crime.
55. In this part of the country criminals do not
use any of these drugs for the purposes noted in
the question. Complete stupefaction may be pro-
duced by this drug without admixture.
56. The effects of hemp are intensified by the
admixture of dhatura, but lessened by mixing with
tobacco. Very few of the excessive habitual con-
sumers of ganja smoke it mixed with a small
proportion of dhatura.
57. Ganja is sometimes fried in ghee mixed
with sugar and spices, all well pounded into a
mass, and eaten. It produces slight stupefaction
and agreeable dreams.
58. I consider that the present system of excise
administration in this part of the province is work-
ing well.
60. Ganja is not produced in this part of the
province.
61. Charas is neither produced nor used here.
4. Evidence of RAO BAHADUR VAMAN NARAYEN BAPAT, Extra Assistant
Commissioner, Amraoti District.
51. I cannot say that any large proportion of
bad characters of Berar are habitual moderate
consumers of any of these drugs. I would say
that only a very small class of bad characters is
addicted to smoking of ganja, and the majority of
them are given up to liquor and opium. There is
not apparently much connection between the moder-
ate use of ganja and crime in general, or in parti-
cular. As a general rule, it may be safely asserted
that people who habitually commit crime, are
given up either to liquor, opium or ganja, the pro-
fessional classes of criminals perhaps being excepted.
The reason of this general addiction of offenders to
some intoxicant or other is that they almost always
belong to degraded classes of society. Their morals
are very low, and they have no public opinion as
such to restrain them from such evil habits. Thus
even boys take to ganja, opium, or liquor from
their boyhood,in which they find no small encour-
agement from the examples of their elders, Thus
brought up, they naturally are averse to all man-
ner of serious work, which alone can secure for
them their bare living. Added to this is the sharp
and irrepressible craving for the stimulants which
cannot wait. Hence they are disposed to commit
small thefts, more for the acquisition of the stimul-
ants than for that of the means of livelihood. So I
think that any of these stimulants do not stand as
cause to effect towards commission of crimes.
The ganja smokers' crime is generally petty thiev-
ing. I have no reason to believe that bhang
eating or drinking leads to crime.
52. The excessive use of ganja smoking is
believed to lead to insanity. Of course crimes
may be committed in this state for which the of-
ender cannot be held responsible. Ganja smoking
in excess leads to crimes of personal injury even
amounting to murder.
53. Excessive indulgence in ganja smoking is
known, in a few cases, to have incited to unpre-
meditated crime of violence to person even up to
murder. I know of no case in which it had led to
temporary homicidal frenzy.
54. I know of no instances in which criminals
used any of these drugs to fortify themselves to
commit a premeditated act of violence or other
crime. But it is just possible that criminals in
very rare cases may be doing this.
55. I have heard criminals inducing their vic-
tims to partake of some preparations of hemp drugs,
and thereby to stupefy them, so that the intended
crimes may be easily and safely committed. As
to whether complete stupefaction can be induced
without admixture, I am not in a position to say.
5. Evidence of N. P. JOSHI, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Wun District.
51. The bad characters in Berar are not habi-
tual moderate consumers of hemp drugs. There
may be but very few among the bad characters
that are addicted to the smoking of ganja or drink-
ing of bhang. I do not think moderate use of
ganja has any connection with the commission of
crime in general. The consumer of ganja is some-
times prone to pick up quarrels and commit crimes
such as petty assaults, but I had not before me up
to date any case in which an offender was found
guilty of a crime which he had committed while
he was under the influence of ganja or bhang.
52. The excessive use of ganja or bhang brings
on insanity. In some cases it is temporary, and the
discontinuance of the use and proper treatment
restore a man to his proper senses after some
time; but in some cases the insanity brought on by
excessive use is almost permanent.
53. The excessive indulgence in ganja smoking
may in rare instances incite to unpremeditated
crime of violence, but I know of no case in which
it had led to temporary homicidal frenzy.
54. I know of no case in which it was disclosed
that the offender used ganja or bhang to fortify
himself to commit any premeditated crime.
55. I have heard that criminals sometimes
induce their victims, boys and women especially, to
partake of hemp drug sweet preparation to further
their designs. This is done in large fairs where
thieves distribute the preparation as sharni or
sweetmeats in the name of goddess in the evening,
and after fall of night freely rob the women and
the children of their property.
vol. vii.
2 u 2