421

a length as to make him unfit for work. I should
not enlist a " charasi," for if he had not carried
the habit to great lengths, he would not have
earned that name, and I should not bear of his
having the habit. I do not remember it having
been brought against a man that the took bhang
in particular as distinguished from other in-
toxicants. I do not know much about the habit
of bhang-taking; but I imagine it goes with
charas, or with other intoxicants. The mere men-
tion of the opium or alcohol habit would not
necessarily prevent my enlisting a man who showed
no effects of the habit in his physique, and in
whom the Civil Surgeon could discover no bad
effects from the habit.

Letter from COLONEL TUCKER appended to
                        his evidence.

I have the honour to say that, in compliance
with the wishes of the Commissioners, I have
caused the special reports of the following offences
committed in the province during the five years
1889 to 1893, inclusive, to be searched, without
finding a single instance in which these crimes
were committed by persons intoxicated with bhang
or charas:—

(1)  All cases of administering stupefying drugs
for hurt or robbery.

(2)  All cases of culpable homicide or grievous
hurt by religious fanatics.

(3)  All dakaitis.

(4)  All murders.

(5)  All riots by twenty or more persons.

(6)  All robberies accompanied with grievous
hurt, or in which the loss exceeded lis. 100.

Total number of reports examined, 3,961.

The conclusion appears to be that bhang and
charas are not incentives to serious crime.

29. Evidence of MR. C. BROWN, Officiating Deputy Inspector-General of Police.

1. During the last few months 1 have consulted
experienced native police officers and others on the
subject; but previously, beyond knowing that
charas was a preparation of hemp, which was
smoked, and that bhang was the name of the hemp
leaves, which were eaten or drunk or used as poul-
tices, I had but a hazy idea of the extent to which
these drugs were used.

3. The hemp plant grows wild in the Simla dis-
trict, and I believe in other parts of the Hima-
layas and in the submontane districts. I have
seen it in Kashmir too.

14.  I believe charas is made in the Kangra dis-
trict. But the charas which is commonly used in
this province is imported from Yarkand.

15.  Bhang is used in two ways (1) by cooking
it with sugar and milk and making it into sweet-
meats ; (2) by soaking it in water and mixing
sugar, almonds, black pepper, and poppy seeds.
This sherbet is called sardai, and is much used in
the hot weather.

18. Bhang is said to lose its properties by being
kept, and also by being wetted. Charas will keep
good for five years.

20. Charas is smoked—

(a)  by fakirs.

(b)  by persons who associate with fakirs.

(c)  by Purbia menial servants.

(d) Pathans of Peshawar and the border.

22. The charas used in the Punjab is chiefly
that imported from Yarkand.

24.  Bhang is eaten and drunk—

(a)  by Brahmans and persons who live by alms,

(b)  by Sikhs, especially Nihangs,

(c)  by both Hindu and Muhammadan fakirs.

The late Baba Bir Singh of a village near
Gharanda, in the Amritsar district, used to obtain
two boat loads of bhang every year from the hills
under a special permit granted by the late Sir
Donald McLeod, Lieutenant-Governor of the
Punjab.

25.  The use of charas is said to be on the
increase.

29. Almonds, black pepper, and poppy seeds
are mixed with bhang used for drinking.

30.  Bhang is indulged in generally in company
and at fairs and festivals, much in the same way
that liquor is drunk in other countries.

31.  When the habit has been acquired, it is
difficult to break it off.

32.  The hemp plant is said to be called " Shivji
ki buti" in some parts, and its use considered a
religious rite. This may be an excuse for indulg-
ing in it.

33.  Persons addicted to bhang and charas are
generally held in disrepute. Persons who live
idle lives and want a cheap intoxicant are the
chief consumers of the drugs.

35. The prohibition of the use of these drugs
would be a serious political mistake. The persons
most addicted to the use of them are Brahmans,
fakirs and religious characters, who would spread
discontent throughout the country.

37. Ganja is not much used in the Punjab.
Charas is said to produce almost instantaneous
intoxication. Persons who smoke it for the first
time feel a dizziness and singing in the ears,
which lasts for several hours. The use of charas
is said to enable a person to withstand cold, and
for this reason it is much smoked by naked fakirs.
The camp followers of regiments on the march,
who are poorly clad and much exposed to the
weather, use charas for the same reason.

Bhang is an exhilarant. It promotes appetite
and aids digestion. Brahmans, especially those of
Thanesar and other places, which are visited by
pilgrims, use bhang to enable them to eat as much
as possible.

40. Charas is said to be good for chest com-
plaints. It is alleged that persons who are
travelling and have to drink whatever water may
be obtainable are able to counteract the effects of
bad water by the use of charas.

Bhang is thrown into wells to improve bad
water. Bhang is given to horses as a stimulant,
and is also used, in cases of colic, for cattle.
Bhang is an excellent sedative, and a bhang poul-
tice is most soothing.

43.  I have never heard any complaints of
moderate consumers causing annoyance.

44.  Bhang is refreshing, charas intoxicating.

45.  The excessive use of charas is said to cause
insanity, and I believe a large number of persons