217

   27. Bairagis contribute most to class (b) under
ganja. They believe that its use makes them
wise by extinguishing in them all passion for
sexual pleasures. All classes of natives residing
in these parts represent class (c) and the remainder
under class (b) in ganja. Class (a) under ganja
is represented by Muhammadans, pariahs and
lower classes of Hindus. These people contract
the habit on the advice of native doctors and by
association with bairagis and other ascetics.
Bondilis, pensioned sepoys, Dommaras and other
wandering tribes contribute to class (c) under
bhang. These people acquire the habit by bad
society and on account of occasional indulgence,
as in the case of Bondilis, as a religious drink.

   People that have a sickly constitution and that
can ill afford to get proper medical advice and
that have bad society, get into these practices.

   28. Habitual moderate consumers of ganjayi
use every day about 2 tolas of the stuff referred
to in my reply to question 15, and its cost will be
about 7 pies, of which 3 pies relate to ganja and
4 pies to tobacco, etc. Habitual excessive con-
sumers use every day twice the above quantity.
Occasional moderate consumers of bhang use half
a seer of the bhang prepared in the manner de-
scribed in my answer to question 15.

   29. Vide my answer to question 15. Dhatura
is never mixed here with ganja. Bhang massala
is not sold in the bazar, but a preparation of
cardamom, nutmegs, pepper, Kunkumapuvvu
(saffron), patcha karpuram (fair-coloured camphor),
etc., is the powder usually mixed in the beverage
of bhang.

   30. Ganja is smoked publicly in bairagi mat-
tams and such other places. Company is preferred
to solitude. At home it is smoked stealthily, but
even there company has its fascination. It is
confined exclusively to the male sex. Females
never use it.

   Bhang is always drunk in company; males only
drink it and females seldom do so.

   31. The habit of consuming these drugs is not
easily formed, as it does not agree with any but
persons of phlegmatic temperament. It is not
difficult to break off the habit before it becomes
excessive, but when it becomes excessive, it be-
comes second nature.

   32. There is no custom, social or religious, in
regard to ganjayi, but in regard to bhang, the
Bondilis have a religious custom to which I have
already referred in my answer to question No. 17.

   33. The consumption of the drug is regarded with
disfavour; there is a public opinion about it, and it
deprecates its use and looks upon its devotees as
people unworthy of good company. Society shuns
them, and no respectable man uses either ganjayi
or bhang openly, and if he should do so, he be-
comes at once a marked man.

   The use of the drug is certainly in disrepute as
it is believed to indicate low society, unsteadiness
of character, want of assiduity, and general in-
capacity for any intelligent work or sustained
effort.

   The hemp plant is not worshipped by any-
body in this part of the country.

   34. No, except to bairagis, who are excessive
consumers of ganjayi, but their number is so
small that the inconvenience arising from the
prohibition of its consumption is practically very
little. The number of these bairagis will be
about 10,000.

   35. It is not worth while to prohibit the use
of ganjayi and bhang, but it should be restricted;
there will be no illicit consumption of the drug,
no private discontent among the consumers, nor
any public danger, social or political.

   I think that such a prohibition will not be
followed by recourse to alcoholic stimulants or
other drugs.

   36. No; the effects of alchol are different
from ganja—one leads to excessive indulgence in
sexual pleasures, while the other has a diametri-
cally opposite effect and makes a man impotent;
one makes a man a ruffian and the other a timid
fellow. There is a Telugu saying which, when
translated into English, runs as follows:—

   Ganjayi is timid, opium is sleepy, arrack is
murderous.

   38. Yes; round ganja heats the system and is
more intoxicating. Flat ganja is of moderate
strength, and neither heats the system nor intoxi-
cates a man too much. Chur is useless stuff, and
is used only in the Agency tracts; it is not liked
much by the people here.

   39. Smoking heats the system, while eating
and drinking it cools the system. To a sickly
man smoking does more good, but to a healthy
man eating and drinking does more good. As
healthy people use it only for pleasure, it must be
said that smoking does more good.

   40. Yes; vide my reply to question 19. Gan-
jayi is used very sparingly for cattle diseases.

   41. (a) Both ganja and bhang promote diges-
tion.

   (b) Ganja gives no staying-power while bhang
gives it.

   (c) Ganja is considered a prophylactic, but
bhang is a febrifuge and is used in cases of fever
and ague.

   (d) Both majums and halvas are used as
medicine.

   (1) Sickly and dyspeptic people use the drugs
for this purpose.

   (2) Coolies use bhang.

   (3) People in malarious places use the drugs
in this manner.

   (4) All people treated by native doctors know
this.

   42. No; except by way of medicine. Ganja
is a medicinal plant and has medicinal value.

   43. Most certainly; they are very timid people
(vide my reply to question 36).

   44. It relieves suffering by producing intoxica-
tion. It is refreshing and creates appetite. Its
effects do not last longer than three hours. It has
no after-effects. Want of subsequent gratifica-
tion does produce uneasiness and a desire to use
it.

   45. Physical.—Moderate use does not impair
the constitution; it does not injure the diges-
tion; unmixed ganja produces cough, but the
prepared one cures asthma, bronchitis, etc.

   Mental.—It does not deaden the intellect
though it makes him lazy; excessive use does lead
to temporary insanity, but moderate use does not
do it. The first symptom of insanity is worldly
renunciation; there are no typical symptoms. I
know nothing about the confessions of insanes.

   Moral.—A consumer of ganja becomes impotent
and never immoral. It is consumed to extinguish
sexual desire.

   Vol. vi

2 H