38. Evidence of BABU RAM CHARAN BOSE, Kayasth, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Alipur, 24-Parganas.

1. As Sub-divisional Officer in Bagir Hat, Magura, Bishenpur, Supal, and Ranaghat, and Deputy Collector in charge of Excise at Pabna and tempormily in Darbhang,,a, and Deputy Magistrate in Noakhali, I had opportunities of knowing of excise cases, and in 24-Parganas, too, I had to dispose of excise cases. My information is based on what I could know from official duties and personal acquaintance with some jogis in different parts of Bengal and the North-Western Provinces, and with people by whom some of the produce of hemp is used.

2. The definitions are accepted so far as my answers have reference to. Of ganja the three sorts are flat, round, and chnr. Charas is the resinous matter. Siddhi or bhang or bijaya or sithji, the dried leaves of hemp plant.

3. I have seen it growing in Mansha, in Bagir Hat Sub-division and Jessore.    Recently an instance was brought to my notice of a large plant grown in the 21-Parganas. The subject of removal of the plant formed the ground of a criminal case.

4. Yes, the plant is the same.
In Mansha several plants sprang up spontaneously from seeds which were thrown off by up-country darwans who served in the zamindari cutchery, and were addicted to bhang or siddhi drinking.

5. The instances in which such plants were observed grew on bhitta lands, outskirts of human habitation. I could not exactly give thesen level. The soil was partially humid, and the spots where they grew were places where refuse of sweepings were thrown.

6. A few plants were observed at Mansha.

7. I have seen nowhere hemp cultivated and grown for the purposes indicated.

14. None that I am aware of.

15. (b) I have seen no preparation made from wild plants.
I have seen ganja prepared for smoking, and bliang for drinking purposes. The articles were of cultivated hemp plant purchased from abkari shops. Ganja for smoking is prepared by cutting it to pieces or squeezing it with dried tobacco leaves, and bhang is made into a paste and mired with spices and made into a beverage for drinking.

16. Bhang is prepared in houses. It can, I believe, be prepared from wild hemp plant too, but I cannot say whether these grow wild or have the same intoxicating property like the leaves of plants cultivated.

17. There is no special class of people by whom such preparations are made.
Bhang is mostly consumed by up-country people, and ganja by wanks, boatmen and fishermen, cartmen, syces, grass-cutters, whose avocations of life lead to constant exposure to sun and water. The up-country sanyasis, mendicants, and fakirs are mostly addicted to ganjasmoking, and bhang is taken by them as a drink too.

18. Cannot speak much of it. 13hang, however, is said to lose its intoxicating property by long keeping, but its medicinal property is said to increase by time. Ganja is said to deteriorate by exposure and long keeping. With ordinary care both do retain intoxicating property for a year or so. Safety from exposure to moisture prevents deterioration.

19. Yes, so far as I am aware of, for smoking only.

20. This answer has been given in question 17. Charm is seldom smoked. It is used by some people used to night-keeping—Jatrawalas, dancers, and other musicians, the object being to lN a r d off sleep. People used to haunts of immorality and places of public women have often been observed using charas. The number of such who are addicted to ganja and chases smoking is very, small compared with the general body of the people.

21. I have seen round ganja preferred to flat ganja. The people, however, who use ganja is greatly confined to lower orders.

22. I know of the use of no foreign charas.

23. I have never seen it (bhang ) used for smoking.

24. The answer to this has been furnished in question 17. It is not possible in the absence of statistics to give the proportion of people by whom bhang is drunk. The up-country people who are living in Lower Bengal are mostly addicted to this drug. Amongst those who work, common coolies and labourers betake partially to ganja. The localities are not restricted.

25. On the increase. The reason is mostly owing to a large number of people who periodically come to these parts to betake to labour and find employment around Calcutta and other parts where railways and other works are carried on, as well as to a large number of boatmen and other classes who visit these parts in consequence of free and easy modes of communication which are daily in progress.

26. (a) The proportion is 100 to 1 of excessive consumers.
(b) Almost the same proportions as above indicated.
(c) and (d) The number of habitual and occasional excessive consumers is very limited.
These figures are the result of mere guesses, and I am aware of no statistics.

27. The answer has been given in replies to questions 17 and 25.

29. Ganja is smoked with a preparation by mixing it with dried tobacco leaves moistened with a little water while it is squeezed into a hall.
Bhang is prepared with an admixture of cucumber seeds, pepper, mouri, spice, sugar, and other spices by better class of consumers, while the lower order mix it with pepper and molasses. Dhatura is not used. The object is to increase the power of intoxication and give flavour to the beverage. The ingredients have been stated above.

30. Generally in company. Even sanyasis and fakirs who lead a life of solitude prefer the use in company. The use is confined to the male sex. 1 have seen rare instances of the use of ganja and bhang by females of the mendicant class. Among family women no instances have come to my notice except for medicinal purposes in rare cases. Children have never been observed to consume these articles.

31. Company exercises great influence in induclug the formation of habits. Habits once con- tracted are not easy to break off. These have a permanent effect on the system, and generate a vitiated taste which it is not easy to give up. Yes; there is a tendency to lead to excessive use.

32. Bhang is, according to a social and religious custom, drunk as a beverage on occasion of Bijaya or the day the Durga idol is consigned to waters. All relations and friends meet on this evening, exchange civilities prescribed by custom, and sip the preparation made. The use is, however, very temperate, and does not for this singular occasion only lead to the formation of any habit. This use on this particular occasion is held to be essential. Bhang or siddhi is only used. The word siddhi means success, and this custom, is believed to lead to success in all undertakings started from this day. It is held to be auspicious.

33. The consumption of ganja is held to be disreputable. The expression bhang or hemp smoker is a term of reproach, and is popularly held to be contemptible. The only public opinion about drinking bhang according to social or religious custom has been stated above. The opinion about disrepute in connection with the smoking of ganja is believed to proceed from the sentiment that such consumption generates a hot and intemperate temper, and leads to want of reason and other deleterious effects on the system. I have known of no custom of worshipping the ganja plant by any section of the people.

34. Yes ; it would be a privation, though not so serious as in the case of people addicted to opium. Bhang-drinkers have been observed to get diseases of the stomach for giving up the habit. No statistics are in possession to furnish the figures for probable numbers.

35. I am rather apprehensive to hazard any opinion on this point. Charas use may be feasible to prohibit, but there would be great difficulty to prohibit the use of ganja and bhang. Possibly endeavour to prohibit would lead to illicit consumption and occasion serious discontent, the extent of which I am not prepared to define. The prohibition would be held to be a source of great grievance by up-country men, especially so far as bhang-driuking is concerned.    Amongst the
class of people who have no prejudice to liquor, such a prohibition would in all likelihood lead to the use of this and other alcoholic stimulants.

36. Several drinkers of liquor and alcoholic spirits have been observed to betake to bhangdrinking. This latter is considered not to be so much deleterious to health. I have known of several hard spirit and liquor drinkers betaking to this substitution. Bhang is a cheap drink too.

37. Cannot definitely reply to this. Charas is, however, thought to be a milder article to puff than ganja. This latter has a great effect, inducing unusual heat of' the brain, and generating a rough and hot temperament. The effect of chases, it is said, more induces torpor.

38. Round ganja is held to be more effective. The degree of intoxicating effect which this produces is greater than of the other different sorts, and preference to this is given by consumers.

39. Bhang is less injurious when drunk as it is done than other preparations of the hemp plant. The effect which this produces is slow, while ganja smoked produces a very sharp, strong intoxicating effect by acting on the brain at once.

40. Bhang is admixed with other ingredients, and drugs are prepared by native physicians. The drug is used for healing complaints of the stomach. I have known of no form in which this is administered in cattle disease except its use in administration with molasses to horses and ponies to remove stomach complaints and refresh them after hard labour.

41. (a) and (b) Bhang is used as a drink to sharpen appetite or as an accessory to digestion. Moderate use of bhang removes complaints of the stomach. Moderate use of ganja is said to remove dullness and ennui in case of people used to hard manual labour and great bodily exertions and exposures.
(c) Ganja and bbang are said to have a preventive effect in keeping off malarial influences.
I have known of no use of charas for above purposes.
The fakirs and sanyasis use ganja to induce concentration of the mind and helping devotional purposes. I mean of course the moderate use of the drug. The classes by ganja and bhang are used have been adverted to by me in replies to other questions.

42. I say moderate use of bhang is harmless and beneficial ; so the moderate use of ganja by sanyasis and fakir classes. The experience of the habit and mode of life of these classes of the people induce me to say so. •

43. Yes.

44. To the habitual consumers moderate use produces no injurious effect. Its effect on their system is not perceptible. The effect is refreshing and exhilarating to some extent.    The
intoxicating effect, if any, is not noticeable. Bhang and ganja to these moderate consumers sharpen appetite. The effect which moderate use of bhang produces to them is like that which is observed amongst tea drinkers, although this does not seem to be so much stimulating. The effect of bhang is of longer duration. It is slow, but lasts for hours. These two drugs do not produce so much lassitude after the effects are over as in the case of alcohol drinkers. The moderate consumers are regular in their hours of consumption. Bhang by them is invariably found to be drunk in the afternoon, and ganja in the morning and evening after bath and ablutions.

45. Bhang produces an oblivious effect in course of time, and induces forgetfulness. Physically it does not seem to be injurious.
Ganja, after one is used for a time to the course, brings on a consolidation of the frame. With the decay, brought about by years, the frame which had been muscular gets attenuated. The person addicted becomes subject to strong coughing, and towards the close it induces dysentery and loss of appetite.
Bhang in course of time has the effect of inducing laziness and impotency or loss of vital power.
Ganja induces heat in the brain. Its undue consumption generates insanity. At first the effect is temporary, which subsequent indulgence confirms into durable deprivation of better senses, and brings on insanity.
In case of temporary effect, restraint and disuse may establish the even tenor of mind, which is liable to disturbance by return to habits of excess.
The marked type observed in case of such in-banes is that they become very irascible, hot and loquacious, and in case of slight opposition offered, flies to rage. These insanes confess to ganja use, and become turbulent and display still hankering for ganja in hallucid moments.
I am not prepared to answer the last portion of the question. I have known of no such instances of weakened intellect.
I am not aware of any cases.

46. Nothing more to add to what I have stated before.

47. None that I am aware of.

48. Nothing to add.

49. None that I have ever come to know. The effect is said to be the reverse, and has a tendency to bring on a disinclination for venereal intercourse.
Ganja, and specially bhang, is said to induce impotency.

50. In the above the excessive use of the articles has been referred to.

51. Yes, of ganja. The use has the effect of deadening the finer sensibilities and inducing turbulence and heat of brain, rendering it less susceptible to fear or consequence of nefarious actions.

52. The excessive use produces a reverse effect, and does not conduce to resorting to such actions, and renders the victim subject to fits unsuited to determined and resolute actions.

53. Yes, ganja does it. It has been in some instances observed to lead to unpremeditated and hasty actions.
I am not aware of its leading to homicidal frenzy.

54. Yes, ganja in some cases, like spirits, is used for such purposes.

55. I have known of no such instances.
I believe complete stupefaction is not induced unless bhang is admixed with other substances.

56. This question has been given reply to in dealing with other previous ones.
I have no information on the subject of dhatura admixtures.

57. I know of no such instances.

58. I cannot speak much of it. I think the system is working well.

59, 60, and 61. Nothing to say. 62. Hemp is not cultivated here. 63 and 64. Nothing to say.

65. Nothing to suggest.

66. I consider the round should be taxed more, considering its comparatively greater intoxicating property. I can suggest no rates.

67. None.

68. There are shops for the vend of ganja and bliang, but I have no suggestions to offer.

69. Yes, to some extent. Enquiries are generally made by the police in regard to the advisability Of opening shops in particular localities. lt would be betier if local public opinion is more consulted. As a rule I have invariably seen some opposition or other raised by residents of the locality in the mufassal when such sites for shops are selected.

70. There are no facts that I am aware of regarding the importation or smuggling of hemp drugs from Native States to which attention might be drawn.
Yes, duty is paid.
There is no general use of untaxed drugs that I am aware of.