Indian Hemp Drugs Commission
The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission (German: "Indian Hemp Drugs Commission") examined, on behalf of the government of British India , from 1893 to 1894 the effects of the production and consumption of bogus hemp in the province of Bengal and all of India.
history
On March 2, 1893 , the question of the effects of intoxicating hemp production in the province of Bengal was raised in the British House of Commons . As a result, the government of British India convened a seven-member commission on July 3, 1893, the investigation area of which was extended to all of India at the suggestion of the Earl of Kimberley ( John Wodehouse, 2nd Earl of Kimberley ).
The work of the commission
The members of the commission first met in Calcutta on August 3, 1893 , and worked from then until August 6 of the following year when the study ended. In the course of its work, the commission interviewed 1,193 witnesses in 86 sessions and organized excursions to thirty cities in eight provinces.
The witnesses whose statements were recorded by the commission were divided into three categories:
- Government employees who can provide information about hemp based on their official and local experience.
- Non-government employees of all ranks who can provide information about hemp in general or its association with particular populations.
- Any other person or body of persons capable of reporting facts or opinions of interest to the Commission.
Overall, the following were surveyed:
- Civilian Government Employees: 467
- Government Medical Employees: 214
- Private Practitioner Medic (European Methods): 34
- Private Practitioner Medic (Native Methods): 87
- Hemp farmers: 144
- Missionaries: 34
- Associations: 24
- People in the hemp trade: 75
- Scholars: 55
- Other people: 59
In order to facilitate and standardize the collection of information, the same 70 questions were asked of the witnesses. The written answers to these questions formed the bulk of the Commission's evidence.
The report
The final report was published in seven volumes with a total of 3,281 pages.
He went into the physical, mental and moral effects of bogus hemp, as well as its cultivation, processing and the corresponding administrative measures.
The physical effects
The commission stated that it had come to the conclusion that the moderate use of bogus hemp was accompanied by practically no negative effects.
The mental effects
Regarding the alleged mental confusion caused by bogus hemp, the commission concluded that moderate use did not cause harmful effects on the mind.
The moral effects
The commission said it had not found sufficient reason to believe that moderate use of bogus hemp detrimentally affected the consumer's character, while excessive consumption could well add to moral weakness and depravity.