324 REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94. [CH. XVI.

Restriction of area of cultivation.

663. First.—In Madras and Bombay, as was formerly the case in Bengal
and the Central Provinces, the regular cultivation is
already confined to limited areas. There is practi-
cally scarcely any regular field cultivation of ganja except in the Kistna and
North Arcot districts of Madras and the Ahmednagar and Satara districts of
Bombay; and the prohibition of cultivation in other districts will involve no serious
difficulty. And though the ultimate inclusion of all the ganja cultivation in an
area more circumscribed than that of two whole districts is desirable and pro-
bably feasible, still the limitation even thus far would be a considerable step in
the right direction.

Objection as regards private cul-
tivation.

664. Secondly.—If it be objected that the prohibition of occasional cultivation
of a few plants in the private gardens or enclosures
of individuals will be difficult to enforce, to this the
Commission would reply—

(1)   This difficulty has been overcome in Bengal, Assam, and the Central
Provinces, in parts of which, as abundantly established by the
evidence taken by the Commission, this sporadic cultivation was
equally prevalent.

(2)  The difficulty is not so great as it seems; for whereas at first sight
it seems that it would be necessary in order to enforce the prohi-
bition to increase establishments and exercise vexatious interfer-
ence with the people, such has not been found from experience
gained in other provinces to be actually the case. The difficulty
of concealing the plant and the evidence of illegality involved in
the mere existence of a prohibited plant in occupied lands, coupled
with a legal prohibition, has in fact sufficed almost to extermi-
nate such growth in tracts where ganja is produced with a mini-
mum of prosecutions and penalties.

Objection as regards wild growth
in Madras and Bombay.

665. Thirdly.—If it be objected that the wild hemp plant growing in unoccu-
pied lands is so plentiful that, even if the prohibition
against cultivation is successful, ample opportunity
will still be found to bring a large amount of ganja into the market from this
source, to this the Commission reply—

(1)  That the ganja derived from such spontaneous growth, untended and
unimproved, is so inferior as to obviate all likelihood of its com-
peting with the cultivated ganja.

(2)  That wild hemp in the strict sense is not found in tracts removed
from human habitations, past or present; and the amount of ganja
capable of being smoked which can be procured from such
growth will not interfere with the success of the proposal.

Objection as regards Native
States.

666. Fourthly.—If it be objected that the ganja produced in Native States
adjoining the Madras and Bombay Presidencies
cannot be kept out of the province, and that this
fact alone vitiates the scheme, to this the Commission reply—

(1) That even if this be so, the same may be said of the provinces where
cultivation is controlled; and while the arrangements of these