JODHPUR STATE MEMORANDUM.

The hemp plant does neither spontaneously nor to any.great extent grow in Marwar, but in a few villages of the parganas of Jodhpur, Bali, Pali, Bilara, Merta, Sojat, Jaitaram, hnd Jaswantpura, where both the kharif and rabi crops are produced, the cultivators sow some seeds of bhang round the fields of onion, coriander, mustard, and " rijka " grass as well as round the dhurras (passages) of water in the winter season.

The growth of the plant is not controlled, but when it grows up, the leaves are cut down and dried in the summer season. Some of the seeds, which fall down on the ground at the harvest time, sprout up in the rainy season ; in the beginning of winter they are also dried.

If there happens to be any ganja seed among those of the bhano. it also germinates. When it is cut down it is kept separate, and the produce thus obtained is termed " makuria ganja," which is chiefly used by Samis and Jogis only, as it is of much inferior quality, and for the same reason it is not offered for sale.

The cultivation of the plant is neither permitted nor prohibited ; the cultivators cultivate as they have been doing since long; but there are no separate fields of bhang or ganja, and they do not grow abundantly, and consequently there is neither any system of administration with regard to these drugs nor any system of restriction and control.

Charas is not at all prepared in this country.

As the local produce of bhang is hardly sufficient to meet the wants of the consumers, this drug, as well as ganja and charas, are imported from other countries.

For the importation of ganja and charas a license is obtained from the Residency office, but a parwana from the Darbar is sufficient to import bhang.

The Darbar levies custom duties on the import, export, and transit of these drugs, and they are as given below :—

It may be mentioned that from the customs point of view, both ganja and charas are regarded as one and charged at the same rates.

The Government duty for the importation of ganja is said to be Rs. 2 per maund. The bhang goes duty free and is chiefly imported from Bhurtpur. Charas is brought from the contractors of Ajmere, who probably get it from Yarkand and Afghanistan. Ganja is mostly brought from Indore, and consequently it goes by the name of Indore ganja.

The required figures for the period preceding 1883-81 could not be available, as then there was no Customs Department, and a contract for the whole custom dues was given. A separate statement* gives the statistics for the period intervening between 1883-84 and 1892-93, so far as could be obtained from the Customs Department. The appended memorandum shows the total inoorne derived thereby.

The tota duty realized from bhang is Rs. 72-0-3 and that from ganja and charas together Rs. 7,785-3-7, thus giving on the aggregate a sum of Rs. 7,857-3-10.

With regard to the sak of these drugs, it is to be noted that in the towns of Jodhpur and Pali, where these drugs are consumed in a comparatively greater degree than in other towns of Marwar, probably on account of there being a greater population, a contract for the sale of bhang:, ganja, and charas has since 1880 been given, which has brought an income of Rs. 14,047 to the Darbar. A parwana instead of a license is issued by the city Kotwal in Jodhpur and by the Hakim in Pali by auction to the highest bidder. It covers a period of nearly one year. Both the aforesaid authorities supervise and control the sale and punish the infringers of the contract.

In places other than Jodhpur and Pali, where there is a less demand and supply of these drugs, their possession and sale are not controlled, and no necessity has ever been felt for such control.

There are no retail vendors in Pali, but there are fourteen in Jodhpur, all of whom are under the control of the contractor, who himself has two shops within the town. The retail sellers are ordinary shopkeepers vending these drugs along with other articles. With reference to area and population, when and where they see any necessity for the same, they sell these drugs purchasing at a lump sum from the contractor.

The rates at which the drug is supplied by the contractor to the retail vendors and ordinary consumers are the following :—

No tax is imposed in this country except the duties alluded to above.

The average retail price to the consumers of bhang varies from two pies to nine pies, to those of ganja from one anna to three annas, and to those of charas from one anna to two annas.

It does not differ much in the different parganas.

There is no maximum amount fixed for retail sales to, or possession by the ordinary con- sumers •' but as the consumers are not, generally speaking, well-to-do persons they do not keep more than two or three doses. There is no minimum price, the current rates having already been quoted.

No complaint of smuggling or of an illicit sale of these drugs has yet been brought to the notice of the Darbar. The kotwal of this city in Jodhpur and the hakim in Pali are, however, empowered to punish the smugglers and unauthorized vendors of the drugs.

Bhang, ganja, and charas are not under the control of the local Excise Department, and there are no modifications under the consideration of the ijlas.

As has already been stated, the appended statement gives the required statistics about these drugs, as far as the figures could be available from the records of the Darbar. The explanation of variations from year to year seems to be that these drugs are generally imported when either the stock is exhausted or when their rates are cheaper in the countries from where the contractors import them.