KASHMIR STATE MEMORANDUM.

1. Cultivation of hemp does not prevail in Kashmir.

2. The hemp plant, however, grows spontaneously throughout Kashmir proper.

3. It is abundant in Wantipora, Haripore, and Anantnag tahsils of the Anantnag district, and in the Nagam tahsil of the Srinagar District, growing on both banks of the river Jhelum and Arveni and Kaimu nallahs.

4. The growth of wail hemp is ordinarily dense. Almost all wild hemp which is called Talia in the Punjab, and is generally female plant in the above-mentioned tahsils, is used for the preparation of ganja locally known by name gard bbang (chura charas).

5. The total quantity of gard bbang annually manufactured in ordinary years is about 70 maunds, but in the year San-lhat 1950 the total production of ganja amounted to about 35 maunds, the hemp plant having been considerably damaged by the recent flood.

6. Four hundred maunds of fibre are annually produced, but, for reasons stated above, the total quantity of fibre in Sarnbat 1950 amounted to 160 maunds only.

7. Down the city on both banks of the river Jhelam wild hemp known as Kathiya bhang does not produce gard bhang (chura charas), and it is only used for its fibre and twigs for burning.

8. About 600 maunds of fibre is annually produced clown the river and in the Utartnachipura and Sri Pratap Singhpura talisils and ilaqa Magan of the Pattan Tahsil and Khinhanaa.

9. Zamindars pay to the lessee fixed amount as duty which varies according to the extent of the growth for the fibre and twigs of the hemp plant growing down the city and in the tahsils mentioned in paragraph 8.

10. The leaves of the hemp plant are trodden under foot, and cleaned by sieve to prepare gard bhang, and this process is continued until the leaves are reduced to powder and seeds separated. This is always done by lessee in Srinagar, where the leaves are brought to undergo this process of manufacture.

11. Manufacture and sale of gard thang (chura charas) and fibre are auctioned, and the highest bid in the current year, Sainbat 1930, amounted to Rs. 3,240.

12. The monopoly of sale is practically given to the lessee, who appoints his own men for retail sale and makes his own arrangements for control of the growth of the wild hemp plant, the production of the ganja, and for its fibre.

13. The number and sites of retail shops are not fixed, and it is optional for the lessee to open retail shops at suitable places not objected to by the people according to the requirements of the consumers.

14. The maximum quantity for retail sale to, or possession by, the ordinary consumers of gard bbang is 5 tolas.

15. No minimum price is fixed for" gard bhang," but it is usually sold at 3 pice per

16. Illicit sale to, and possession of gard bhang• by, consumers in excess of the maximum amount are now generally dealt with on the criminal side under the State Penal Code for disobedience of rules duly promulgated. The rules are, however, defective and make no provision for prosecuting a man manufacturing ganja without a license or destroying the wild hemp plant, or for other similar cases, or binding the lessee to keep up register of produce of the drugs and sale. Framing of the new rules as more effective preventive measures for such purposes is under consideration.

17. The illicit sale of the Yarkand charas apparently prevails, but to a very small extent, as the Yarkand charas is not liked by the Kashmiris, which is the only drug passing through Kashmir for British India.

18. The drug being usually leased, lessee makes his own arrangements for prevention of the illicit sale, as he does for the control of the growth of the plant. The contractor of duty on custom and octroi also in his own interest has supervision on the Yarkand charas to see that it passes the country sealed intact, as, if sold in the city, he is entitled to duty on the same.

19. The annual consumption of the ganja or locally known gard bliang (Aura charas) is about 63 maunds, or, in other words, the entire quantity thus manufactured is locally consumed.

20. The gard bbang. as produced in this province is of inferior quality, and being not liked by the people in British Ir.dia its smuggling is of rare occurrence, or in fact I cannot quote a single case of this nature.

21 In the present year lessee, on account of damage done to the hamp plant by the recent flood, could not produce more than 35 maunds, and he had therefore purchased the Yarkand.charas passing through Kashmir to meet the local requirements by mixing the Yarkand charas with the local produce, foreign produce being not liked by the consumers, generally.

22. Green or dry leaves of bhang are not sold for drinking anil smoking. Bhang is very seldom used in this province for drinkino.'' and it is not at all used for smoking, and the people drinking it, whose number can hardly be more than 200, clean the dry leaves in their houses and roast them a little. A few dry leaves are put in a koondi with some black-pepper to prepare a fluid, and sometimes sugar also is mixed to make the liquid sweet to the taste. There is no prohibition for possession of the bhang leaves in any quantity.

23. Bliano. is also used in the preparation of majum, which is eaten to some extent by the Hindustanis and well-to-do Kashmiris.

24. The quantity of majum does not exceed one matted a year.

25. Majum is manufactured by slightly boiling leaves, which are taken out of water and put into hot ghi ; ghi possessing narcotic properties when mixed with ata and sugar makes majmn for eating, but there are to habitual eaters of majum.

26. Cultivation of hemp in this province is only impossible on the hFils ; and, excepting the stony lands, it can be cultivated throughout the province ; but on account of the wild hemp, the growth of which is abundant throughout Kashmir proper, cultivation of the plant does not prevail at all, though not prohibited by the State.

27. Higher up the river in the three tahsils of the Anantnag district and in the Nagam tahsil of the Srinagar district the hemp plant is cut by the zemindars of the neighbouring villages in the month of Kartik, lessee on behalf of the State, when hemp and manufacture of ganja are auctioned, receiving leaves of the plant in full and half of the fibre, the rest half of the fibre and the twigs going to the zemindars in lieu of their wages.

28. Ganja does keep good with ordinary care in skins of sheep at most for two years after which it quite loses its effect, and no measure can prevent its deterioration. If not carefully kept free from wet and atmosphere, it loses its effect earlier than this.

29. Fakirs and a few Musalmans and Pandits of the Srinagar city and towns smoke •
gard bhang (chura charas).

30. The villagers are not accustomed to these drugs.

31. The total number of persons who do smoke ganja is in this province approximately 2,000, and including the people of British India, the servants of visitors in spring, and the fakirs visiting the country on pilgrimage, the number may fairly be taken as 2,500, and they can be classed as follows :—

Habitual moderate consumers, each consuming as an average about 1- tola per diem,
costing about one pine Kham    ... 2,000
Habitual excessive consumers, each consuming as an average about 1 tola per diem,
costing 3 pine    •-•    •-•    50
Occasional moderate consumers, each consuming as an average about one masha    400
Occasional excessive consumers, each consuming about.1 tola, costing 2 pice and a pie    50

Bhang is believed to he an astringent and anti-rheumatic also.

32. The consumers are generally of low classes, Muhammadan and Hindu fakirs and a few notoriously bad characters, though well-to-do persons, mostly illiterate, idleness leading them to the practice of consuming gard bhang, and they are generally grown-up men.

33. The use of the hemp drug as a habit is doubtless injurious mentally and physically, but there are other stimulants which are in no way less injurious than these drugs. The use of bhang for drinking, which is in no way stimulant, is of course most injurious, making the consumers lazy, coward, and senseless when taken in excess.

34. Bhang is considered as digestive, but I have seen cases in which consumers being intoxicated ate much, and the result was on the contrary just the reverse, causing indigestion and leading to frenzy.

35. It is easier than opium to break off the habit of smoking ganja or gard bhang as locally known, and the habit of consuming the same is due to badcompany and idleness, which may gradually develop into the excessive, though moderate in the beginning. Considering the population of the province, which, according to the recent census, is 949,041 souls, the number of consumers of gard bhang is very small, and in case of entire prohibition, which may give rise to discontent among the habitual consumers, it cannot amount at all to a political danger in the Kashmir Province.

36. The area under the wild bhang being not measured and the lessees being not required under the rules to keep up registers, I cannot furnish information by years as asked for in the statement. I, however, give revenue on account of hemp drugs for the last twenty years. I could not get any further information for compilation of the statement, and it is impossible to prepare statement without such information as far as figures by years are concerned.