Drug Abuse

18. Evidence of MR. L. HARE, Magistrate and Collector of Muzaffarpur.

1. As District Officer I have opportunities of obtaining information regarding the subject-matter at hand.

These answers have been prepared by the Excise Deputy Collector. I believe them to be correct.

2. Yes, the definitions seem to be correct. These articles are locally known by the names of bhang, charas, and ganja.

3. Only the hemp plant known as bhang grows spontaneously in all districts of Bengal. The rest do not grow spontaneously.

4. It is known by the following names : ganja, siddhi, bhang, and charas. Charas and ganja refer to the same plant. The bhang plant is different.

5. Not known.

6. Dense.

7. (a) No.
(b) No.
(c) No.
(d) No. No.

8. No.

9. Not known.

10. No special class.

11. As far as I know, no

12. The excise officers frequently come across plants which have to all appearance been cultivated, though this is always denied.

13. Excepting wild bhang, which grows spontaneously, no other hemp plant is cultivated here.

14. (a) No.
(b) No.
(c) Neither ganja nor charas is prepared in this district. Ganja and charas are used for purposes of smoking only. They are never drunk.

The ganja leaves extracted from the twig are crushed and mixed with tobacco leaves. These are then put into a pipe and smoked. Sometimes these leaves are eaten just like tobacco leaves. Powdered hhang is sometimes eaten by the sanvasis. It is generally drunk mixed with the following. spices :—Black pepper, sugar, rose leaf, ani-seal, cardamom, and milk or curd.

15. Not known.
16. (a) Yes.
b) Yes.
(c) No.

17. No special class.

18. All these drugs deteriorate by keeping, and lose their effect after about two years. After two years a sort of worm appears, which eats up the intoxicating matter of the ganja. Ganja, if used after two years will produce headache and will not act as stimulant. No special measure known can prevent deterioration.

19. Yes.

20. The low class men, such as labourers, cultivators and fakirs, generally use gan ja. They are occasionally consumed by the middle class. A small portion of Muhammadans also use these drugs. Women do not use these drugs. The consumption of charas is very small in this district. We have opened only one charas shop this year experimentally. As regards ganja it may be said that about ith of the population use the drug.

21. Chur and flat are generally preferred to round ganja, as the latter produces less intoxication.

22. Charas is imported from Amritsar to Gorakhpur, whence it is brought into this district.

23. As far as is known, no. The consumption is not restricted to any locality.

24. (a) The fakirs eat powdered bhang.
(b) Middle and higher class men drink bhang mixed with cardamon, aniseed, and other spices.

25. The consumption continues to be the same as before.

26. (a) 80 per cent. (6) 5
(c)    ))
(d) 7i    73

27. Among the low class, the cultivators and labourers generally use these drugs as stimulants. Fakirs use them to help them in meditation and to preserve their health against the evil effects of damp, open-air living, and exposure. High class people use it as preventive against the evil effects of cold, damp, etc.

28. (a)    of a tola, at a cost of 1- anna.
(1) 1 tola, at 4 annas per diem.

29. (a) Ganja and charas are generally consumed along with tobacco leaf. Charas is also consumed mixed with prepared tobacco.
(b) Sometimes rose leaf and other spices are mixed to add flavour to the smoke.
The Sadhus, in exceptional cases, mix dhatura seed with bhang to make it more intoxicating. Generally bhang is consumed with the admixture of sugar, black pepper, rose leaf, aniseed, cardamoms, and sometimes milk or curd. The object is to make the drink more tasteful and palatable.
There is no special preparation such as bhang massala in the district. The following spices and articles, however, form the chief ingredients in bhang massala : mirch (black pepper), sonf (aniseed), kasni, seed of cucumber, almond, saffron, rose leaf.

30. Ganja and charas are sometimes indulged in singly and sometimes in company. Bhang is generally used in company.
It is mainly confined to the male sex in youth and old age.
It is not usual for children to consume any of these drugs. On rare occasions females use bhang. In some eastern districts females use ganja.

31. (a) Bhang, no. Charas and ganja, yes.
(b) It is very easy giving up the use of bhang, but very difficult in the latter two cases.
(c) So far as charas and ganja are concerned, yes.

32. There is no special custom, so far as charas and ganja are concerned. But it is a fact that on the Holi and other festive occasions these two drugs are consumed to a large extent.
As regards bhang, it is customary to use it on the Hob festival day, which takes place in the month of Phalgun, when friends and relations are invited to partake of bhang. In eastern districts it is customary, nay, considered religious, to drink bhang on the day following the last day of Durga Puja. This custom prevails among the Hindus only.
Yes, on the Holi day. The consumption on these occasions is generally excessive. It is not likely to lead to the formation of any habit.

33. People do not look down upon bhang consumers with contempt. The consumption of ganja and charas is looked on with disrepute; the reason is that people do not approve of any sort of intoxicating thing. Hemp plant is not worshipped here.

34. Yes. As already remarked, it is very difficult to break off the habit of using ganja and charas, and so, when people are generally addicted to these drugs, they will think it a serious privation if they do not get these drugs.
Moreover, the drugs act as stimulants, and enable poor people to work hard in the field, and so they won't like to part with these drugs, which are also said to be efficacious in a cold and damp climate and wet weather. About 30,000 people consume ganja in this district, 25,C00 (labourers, etc.), 500 (high class men) 4,000 (fakirs), and 500 (some low class men).

35. I don't think that it will be at all feasible to prohibit the use of any of these drugs. The use of these has become such a part and parcel of the lives of many that at the appointed time of the day they must have these drugs or they will be unfit for any work. I fear that any attempt to prohibit the use will lead to illicit consumption. The prohibition is likely to produce serious discontent. No special political danger is apprehended. But it is most difficult to estimate what will constitute political danger. By itself this would probably not be grave in this district; but the fakirs are listened to and respected by the common people. It would undoubtedly be a thorn in the side of a somewhat reckless class. The prohibition is not likely to be followed by any appreciative increase in the consumption of liquor for the following reasons :— Ganja consumers generally do not drink liquor. Moreover, the expense of buying liquor is too much for the poor people that consume ganja. It will reaily be a hardship to the labourers, etc., to be deprived of these drugs. There are certain caste prejudices also among the Brahmins and Rajputs that stand in their way of taking liquor.

36. No. In Dacca I had reason to believe that the excessive raising of the price of liquor was driving drinkers to use ganja. The reverse action might take place if ganja were made sufficiently dear or were wholly unobtainable. But o-anja, etc., would be certainly imported from 'Nepal long before this stage was reached, and it would be quite impossible to stop this with an open frontier such as we have.

37. The effect is the same ; only that charas is more intoxicant than ganja.

38. Chur and flat ganja are more intoxicant than round. There is no difference of effects in kind.

39. Ganja and charas are never eaten or drunk. Powdered bhang is sometimes eaten. Generally it is drunk. Eating iu this case is more injurious than drinking. Drinking is more refreshing, and destroys the natural heat of the plant.

40. In the cure of itches, sometimes, ganja is used mixed with oil. It is also used as preventive of damp. Rheumatic patients and persons suffering from ague are sometimes advised to smoke ganja. Only bhang is used in cattle disease.

41. (a) Yes, when used moderately.
(b) Yes.
(c) Yes.
(d) Not known.
To those who are unaccustomed to it moderate occasional use of the drug is beneficial To those accustomed moderate habitual use will also secure the desired end.
Generally the cultivators and drugs for the purpose noted abo

42. Many persons find the only harmless but beneficial. proved so.

43. Yes.

44. It is refreshing, produces slight intoxication, does not allay hunger, creates appetite. The effect of the consumption of one chillurn of ganja, and charas (71u of a tola) will last for an hour only. That of bhang lasts for four or five hours.
There are after-effects in the case of bhang. In the case of ganja and charas, as soon as the intoxication is over, people feel a little uneasiness.

45. (a) No.
(b) No.
(c) No.
(d) No.
(e) No.
(f) No. No such case known. I believe insanity has only been connected with habitual immoderate use.

46. The sanyasis, as a rule, habitually use the drug in large quantities. They are not said to have suffered in the least by the use of these drugs. On the other hand, their longevity is Partially attributed to their habitual use of ganja, which enables them to sustain themselves in the midst of damp and cold climates.
I have no personal knowledge of any cases, but there are in the lunatic asylums many who are said to be there on account of immoderate use of ganja.

47 and 48. I do not think anything of the kind has been authenticated.

49. (a) Not known.
(b) Not here.
(c) Not known.
(d) Not directly. It is excessive debauchery which produces impotence. If used as suggested, the latter would certainly be present.

50. Not known.

51. (a) Not known.
(b) No connection has been traced here.

52. No connection.

53. In lunatic asylum visiting, I have come across cases so attributed.

54. No experience of this.

55. (a) Sometimes they do so by mixing dhatura seed with bhang.
(b) No.

56. Dhatura is not mixed for personal consumption. When mischief is intended, dhatura is mixed for others. A few sanyasis, however, use dhatura as admixture for personal consumption.

57. No such case known. My general experience is that ganja consumption has more markedly bad effects in Eastern Bengal than in Behar, that is to say, more cases of bad effects came to my notice in Dacca than in Muzaffarpur. I believe in Eastern Bengal the Muhammadans are large consumers.

58. Yes.

59. The system in force is working well and does not seem to be capable of any considerable improvement. I would like to see a maximum and minimum price fixed for the retail sale of the drug, as I think violent fluctuations such as sometimes occur are mischievous both to revenue and to consumers. It is this. The trade is naturally worked for profit. A ring of one or two or a few dealers is formed which outbids all the small men. If there is difficulty in this, they buy a few shops and sell very cheaply, so as to take away the custom of the small men and reduce their profit by this means, and because they, too, must sell cheap to get any custom at all. Then having got them all out, the retail price is run up and large profits secured. When the small men cease to compete, the big men reduce their bids and the revenue is at once reduced enormously, and it takes a long time to get back the small men to come and compete. By fixing a yearly maximum and minimum you, to a great extent, prevent this intershop-competition and each shop is sold on its special average merits.

60. Ganja is not produced in this district. It is grown at Rajshahi, where it is sufficiently well controlled by Government officers specially employed for the purpose.

61. It is not produced here.

62. Attempts were made from time to time to extirpate the growth of wild bhang; but, far from securing the desired end, it proved a source of trouble and oppression upon the people on whose holdings the wild plant grew in profusion. The scheme has since been given up, as it was found almost impossible to check the growth of this wild plant.

63. No.

64. No.

65. Yes.

66. Different rates of taxation prevail with regard to the three different kinds of ganja (flat, round, and chur), and rightly too. For in chur nothing is lost, in flat one-fourth, and in round one-eighth are to be deducted for twigs, etc.

68. Yes. These shops are necessary, as they supply people with the drugs which they require. People generally carry away their ganja, but sometimes smoke at the shop.

69. Yes. When any new shop is opened, the opinion of the municipaiity as well as of the people inhabiting the locality is consulted.
Yes, local public opinion should be consulted,
as is the case at present, before opening any shop in the locality ; but a ganja shop is not objectionable to the general public, as liquor shops may be, if it is unsuitably located.

70. No such case. It is almost impossible to detect the smuggling of ganja in small quantities. I believe that any attempt to stamp out ganja smoking or an undue raising of the tax would lead to extensive smuggling, which we should be utterly helpless to prevent.

Again, it would induce recourse to other similar drugs. In Eastern Bengal a decoction is made of the leaves of the jute plant.

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