44. Evidence of BABU GOBIND CHANDRA BASAK, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector, Brahmanbaria, Tippera District.

1. I have been serving as the Subdivisional Officer of Brahmanbaria and Chandpur for more than eight years and have seen the whole of the subdivisions of Brahrnanbaria and Chandpur in Tippera district. I do not know much about charas.

2. The definitions given seem appropriate. They are locally known as charm, chipta ganja, and gol gania.

3. In the Tippera district bhang grows spontaneously. Also in the Tippera bills. lt grows everywhere on moist land. Ganja grows in the Tippera hills, but to a limited extent.

4. They are known as bhang or siddhi plants and ganja plants. They are separate plants.

5. It grows in a moist climate. A soft soil, but not under water. The rainfall should not be excessive and no water should accumulate at the root of the plant. Elevation has no effect on the growth of the plant, for it grows on low as well as high landgania

6. The growth is scatterecL

7. (a) None in Tippera district, but there is cultivation in the Tippera hills.
(c) No, it grows wild.
The bhang plants grow wild everywhere, scattered.

8. No cultivation.

9. None.

10 and 11. No.

12. None cultivated here. I understand it is so cultivated in the Tippers hills. The practice is very limited. I do not know whether the male plant is extirpated.

14. (a) None here—in the hills.
(c) Mang is produced, but just sufficient for the consumption of the people and for medicinal purposes.
It is produced everywhere.

15. No ganja and no charas are prepared here. Bhang is prepared from the wild hemp. The leaves are simply plucked and dried in the sun. These are stored up and used for eating and drinking with sugar or gur ; also used for medicinal purposes by washing in water and drying.

16. (a) Prepared by the people in their own houses. (b) Yes, from the hemp plant growing wild.

17. By everyone using bbang.

18. Bhang deteriorates by long keeping. It may keep good for six months. Gania deteriorates by long keeping, say, for two years. Bhang and gania quite lose their effects in time, but gania will take a much longer time. Exposure to damp and air is the cause of deterioration. Deterioration may be prevented by keeping these in airtight boxes.

19. Gania is used for smoking. Gania is also pounded and used in mixing with sweetmeats. This is so used in Dacca by hardened gania smokers.

20. The lower classes of Hindus and Muhammadans smoke gania and very little is smoked by the middle classes and trading classes. I think the gania smokers may be 3 per cent, in all localities.

21. Flat ganja is preferred. Flat, round, and chur gania are used, but chur ganja in very small quantities.

23. Bhang is sometimes used for smoking when gania cannot be got by the consumers. In all localities ; by all habitual smokers ; and to a very small extent.

24. The up-country men eat or drink bbang, but not the coolies. Ksbetryas and Brahmins use it. About 20 per cent, so use it. This is to be found in all places. Natives chink bhang; about 5 per cent, so use it. All classes of the people use bhang for medicinal purposes.
In all localities.

25. The use of ganja was on the increase, as many opium smokers took to gania-smoking on account of the increase of price of opium, but the increase of duty this year has checked the increase in consumption. The use of bhang is on the decrease, as the present generation do not consider it very necessary for stimulating their digestive organs.

26. Gania consumers are—(a) 75 per cent.
() 15    PP
(c)    8    PP
(d)    2
For bhan g—
(a) 75 per cent.
(b)    0
(c) 13
(d) 2    PP

27. The ganja consumers are the working and labouring classes of Muhammadans and Hindus. The Chamars and mehtars among the Hindus. flhe occasional consumers of gania are the Sahas, Pals, and low-class Kayasth, who smoke on religious and social festivities, such as Trinath Mela and marriages and puias.
The habitual consumers of gania are those who do bard bodily labour and pursue detestable and noxious callings, such as Chamars and mehtars.
The habitual consumers of bhang are the up. country men and very few natives of this place.
The occasional consumers are the up-country men and natives.

28. For ganja-
(a) 2 pice.
(b) 2 annas. For bhang-
(a) f of a pice.
(b) 1 pice.
Bhang is ordinarily taken with salt or sugar.

29. Dhatura leaves are exceptionally but rarely used with hhang. This is done to increase the narcotic effects. Gania is ordinarily mixed with tobacco. Dhatura seed is exceptionally mixed with gania by habitual excessive consumers to increase the narcotic effects. No bhang massala is mixed here.

30. Ganja is consumed 25 per cent, in solitude and 75 per cent. in company of at least two Fersons. tihang is consumed in solitude. It is mostly confined to the male sex. People of middle age mostly consume gaeja. Habitual consumers also smoke ganja, when old. Low-class women, Baishnabis and unfortunates, also consume ganja. Bhang is consumed also by old men. Children do not consume these drugs. Boys below 16, who are tobacco smokers, also smoke gania in Trinath Mela, a religious gathering among low people.

31. The habit is easily formed. It is difficult to break off the habit. The moderate habit of using the gania develops into the excessive. The habit of consuming bhang is not easily formed. It is easy to break off the habit, its moderate use does not develop into the excessive.

32. Gania is consumed in Trinath Melas. Numbers of persons meet and sing religious songs. Gania is then offered to the god Trinath and everyone present is bound to smoke gania on pain of the god's displeasure. Gania is consumed by sanyasis to aid the concentration of their minds on a certain subject. Its use is regarded as essential. The use is generally excessive.
It is likely to lead to the formation of the habit. Bhang is sometimes consumed on occasions of marriage or Durga puja, Lakhi puia, and Kali puja festivities, but its use is not essential. The use is temperate.

33. Gania smokers are generally regarded with disrepute. The public opinion as regards ganja smokers is that they associate with low people and have no control over their passions and are excitable, and Bengalis generally do not approve the use of any form of narcotic. The character of the people is mild and the climate does not require stimulants. Bhang consumers are not regarded with disrepute. There is no custom of worshipping the hemp plant, but gauia is often given as offering to god Mahadev by habitual excessive consumers and by sanyasis.

34. Yes; it would be a serious privation to forego the use of gania. People can forego their food rather than the use of these drugs. Three per cent, of the people use gania. But it would not be a serious thing to forego the use of bhang. Two per cent, use bhang here.

35. It would not be feasible to prohibit the use of gania or bhang. They would be consumed illicitly. It will be difficult to enforce the prohibition. The prohibition would occasion serious discontent among the consumers, but it would not amount to a political danger. The prohibition will be followed by recourse to alcoholic stimulants by ganja smokers.

36. No. It is the reverse.

37. I do not know.

38. The flat ganja is said to produce narcotic effects more quickly and its effects last longer.

39. No; all are alike iniurious. Drinking or eating ganja is more iniurious. Bhang is seldom smoked.

40. Bhang is used for medicinal purposes by kabiraies and Tantriks. Bhang is also used in the treatment of cattle disease.

41. (a) Bhang is used as a digestive.
(b) Ganja is used under severe exertion and to alleviate fatigue and as a staying power under severe exertion.-
(c) Gariia is used as a preventive of disease in malarious tracts.
(d) Nil.
Low-class people use ganja. Middle and upper classes, especially up-country men, use bhang.
The moderate habitual use is referred to.

42. The moderate use of bhang is harmless. Ganja is not harmless.

43. Yes, they are.

44. The moderate use of bhang is refreshing in its effects. That of gania produces intoxication, but not for habitual consumers. Bliang creates appetite. Ganja impairs appetite. The effect lasts for two hours. Yes; the want of subsequent gratification produces longing and uneasiness.

45. It does impair the constitution, unless milk is taken. It does iniure the digestion, but bhang does not. The use of ganja causes bronchitis. The use of gania or bhang does not impair the moral sense or induce habits of immorality or debauchery. The excessive use of gania induces laziness, it deadens the intellect, and makes men excitable, and sometimes produces insanity, temporary and permanent. The patients are easily irritable. Insanes confess to the use of ganja.

46. Mentioned under question No. 45.

47 and 48. No; it is not hereditary. It does. not affect children.

49 and 50. Gania is not used as an aphrodisiac. The use of ganja or siddhi does not produce impotence. The excessive use of ganja produces impotence.

51. About 50 per cent. of the bad characters are habitual consumers of gania. No connection with crime,

52. The excessive use makes men irritable and induces them to commit offences against the person.

53. Excessive use of gania makes men irritable and may lead to violent crime. No case came to my notice.

54. No, not here ; but it is used in big towns, where there are hardened criminals.

55. Not done here. Complete stupefaction cannot be induced without admixture with dhatura.

56. No admixtures are made here. Ganja is sometimes prepared with rose-water to make it mild. No dhatuta is used here.

57. It is sometimes eaten with bhang and sometimes with sweetmeats. Its effects are very intoxicating.
These are used by habitual excessive consumers.

58. I am well acquainted with the present system of excise administration. It is capable of improvement.

59. The consumption may be decreased if the duty on gania is raised and the license fee lowered. This will improve the finances as well.
No duty is levied on bbang. Some sort of duty ought to be levied on bhang, which would be very low at first, say, of the average duty on flat gania. This will make the system more regular and analogous to the system of selling ganja.

60 and 61. None produced here.

62. I think the cultivation of the hemp plant for bhang ought to be controlled. It will be feasible, though not all at once. Licenses on payment of fees may be granted for the cultivation of bhang plant within certain areas. Persons on whose lands bhang plants yielding more than four chataks of bhang will be found may be prosecuted. This will bring the system- gradually within the scope of our detective officers. Bhang plants will then have to be destroyed nv Excise officers. To levy duty on bhang will be the next step. The goladars of gania receive a good profit. Twenty-five per cent. of the same ought to be paid as license fee.

63. For bhang see question No. 62.
For retail vend of ganja see question No. 59. For retail sale of bhang see question No. 62. 64, None.

65. Taxation of gania is reasonable.
No duty on bhang is levied, vide question No. 62.
There is no duty on liquor here.

66. There should be different rates of taxation on different kinds of gania, as at present ; for flat gania has twigs, which cbur gania has not, and it will not be expedient to levy the same rate for both.
I do not know about gania cultivation elsewhere.

67. Objections about ganja and bhang mentioned before.

68. There are no houses where they may be consumed on the premises, nor would any be suitable, for most of the drug is consumed at the houses of the consumers- very little is consumed in the shops.

69. Yes, they are considered, as well as the rtquirements of a locality. The influential men of the locality are consulted, and the public opinion of the locality ought to be regarded.

70. Very little gania-say, a few seers-is grown in the 1 ipyera hills. This gania is very inferior in quality and not much is imported by consumers from the hills. The quantity is very small, for the hill authorities now import gania under a pass from the Sudder (Tipnera) golas. This gania is very inferior in quality, and I believe no duty is plid for these drugs in the hills.
There is no general use of this untaxed gania.