411

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 four chittacks of bhang will be found
may be prosecuted.

This will bring the system gradually within the
scope of the detective sub-inspectors of excise.
Bhang plants will then have to be destroyed by
excise officers.

To levy duty on bhang will be the next step.
The goladars of ganja receive a good profit.
Twenty-five per cent. of the same ought to be
paid as license fee.

63.  For bhang, see Question 62.

For retail vend of ganja, see Question 59.
For retail sale of bhang, see Question 62.

64.  None.

65.  Taxation of ganja is reasonable; but no
duty on bhang is levied—vide Question 62. There
is no duty on liquor here.

66.  There should be different rates of tax-
ation on different kinds of ganja. As at present,
flat ganja has twigs, while chur ganja has not,
and it will not be expedient to levy the same
rate for both.

67.  Objections about ganja and bhang men-
tioned as 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, and the re-
quirements of a locality are considered. The
influential men of the locality ought to be con-
sulted, and the public opinion of the locality
must be regarded.

70.  Very little ganja, say a few seers, are
grown in the district, as I hear from persons.
This ganja is very inferior in quality.

184. Evidence of SYAD ABDUL JABBAR, Zamindar, Commilla, Tippera.

1.  There are some tenants of mine and servants
who use ganja. A few gentlemen too, whom I
am acquainted with, use ganja and bhang; hence
my knowledge about them.

2.  Yes, these definitions apply in our province.
In this locality ganja is known by its own
name of ganja. Bhang or siddhi is the name
generally in use. Charas is also known by its
own name.

7. No.

14. No.

19.   Ganja is also used in eating. Generally,
people smoke ganja, but scarcely they eat it
too.

20.    A large number of lower uneducated
people use ganja. An enormous number of the
low class Hindus consume ganja in pretence of
their religious worship. The proportion is small
of the consumers of ganja and bhang. But
throughout the whole province a very large
number of the lower illiterate people use ganja
and bhang. The number of ganja consumers is
larger than that of the bhang. There is no special
locality known to me, but the people of the
whole province—a great proportion of them—
use ganja and bhang.

23. Bhang is sometimes also used for smoking.

25. The use of these narcotic articles is now
on the decrease. The reasons, as far as I under-
stand, are as follows:—

(1)  The principal and most prominent

reason is the wide spread of educa-
tion, which is opening the eyes of
the people and giving them power
of judgment.

(2)   The establishment of associations (na-

tional) in different parts of the
country, which discuss the evils of
these drugs and infuse a hatred to-
wards them in the minds of the
young population, the future expecta-
tion of the country.

(3)  The publication and circulation of several

treatises and pamphlets about the ill-
effects of these poisonous elements.

(4) The spread of civilisation.

27. Persons of licentious character and of disso-
lute nature generally use ganja and bhang. The
labourers of the lower class and menial servants
give themselves up to the habit of ganja, charas,
and bhang using.

30.  People use ganja and bhang generally in
company. They feel greater pleasure and enjoy-
ment in consuming them in company. Some-
times people use them in solitude too.

Without any distinction to sex, male and female
use ganja or bhang. But the number of male
consumers is greater than the females. Women
of unchaste character use these drugs. Good
housewives generally do not use them.

31.   (a) The habit of consuming these drugs is
easily formed. When one uses these drugs for a
few days, he is addicted to it by and bye, and in
no long time he becomes slave to these drugs,

(b)  Though difficult, it seems to break off these
habits when once formed; only a moderate strength
of mind and firmness of determination is required
to give them up. When one strongly determines
to give the habit up, he can do it without much
difficulty.

(c)   Bhang and ganja, if used moderately, tend
to develop to become excessive. A man, when
he uses these drugs, though moderately, loses his
self-control, and consequently cannot strictly stick
to moderation. By and bye, a moderate consumer
becomes an excessive consumer.

32.  The Hindus of this quarter have many
religious customs to observe with ganja and bhang.
In Dula puja Deswalis religiously use bhang. In
the Hari-Sankirtan and other like festivities
Hindus use ganja in large quantities. In a wor-
ship, namely Trinather seva, a feast of the Tri-
nath, or god Siva, which is done on Saturdays
and other appointed days of the year, they pre-
pare a huge ganja smoke for the Trinath or god.
They pass the whole night in a large company in
merriment and revelry, smoking the ganja at in-
tervals prepared for Trinath, and thus give them-
selves up in an excessive smoking of ganja.

33.  The consumption of each of these drugs is
generally regarded as bad. Whoever consumes

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