0003160 G.F. 316
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made both internationally and domestically to curb and control the trade in opium and to reduce opium smoking, but it was not until 1946 that prohibition locally was made complete. Since the Second World War there has been, and continues to be, a large illicit traffic in opium and its derivatives giving Hong Kong today one of the world's major problems of drug addiction. It is important to keep this historical background in mind throughout the reading of this paper and those which will follow
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The opium imported into China and Hong Kong during the nineteenth century was grown in India. Indeed the export of opium during this period provided the Government of India with a substan- tial portion of its revenue. However, this situation has changed completely. Although today India is by far the largest producer in the world of licit opium, there is no evidence to indicate that it is a source of the drug for the international illicit traffic. Any illicit production appears to be consumed domestically. The raw opium and its derivative morphine base imported clandestinely into Hong Kong since the end of the Second World War has had its origin in the contiguous border areas of Burma, Thailand and Laos from which region there is a major illicit traffic for the inter- national markets. This traffic will be examined in some detail in the second paper in this series.
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The Hong Kong Government last declared its policy on the problem of narcotic drugs in the Colony in a White Paper laid before the Legislative Council in November 1959. Therein it is stated that drug addiction was one of Hong Kong's greatest social and economic problems at that time, Government's policy being to neglect no measure that had a reasonable chance of contributing to its suppression. The strategy recommended was to maintain a three pronged drive against the sources of supply, against traffickers and against addicts, while at the same time enlisting the support and co-operation of the public without which no campaign against drugs could hope to succeed. The Secretary for Chinese Affairs (now the Secretary for Home Affairs) was specially entrusted with the co-ordination of policy directives to which the executive departments would work in their war against the drug traffic. In this task he was to be assisted by a Narcotics Advisory Committee comprising the Chinese Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils and two of their European colleagues. Committee's charter was to advise the Secretary for Chinese Affairs on the co-ordination and implementation of official policies and to reduce the trade in and consumption of narcotics in Hong Kong.
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The
It is a matter of regret to have to report that, with one exception, and despite great activity and devotion by many people, virtually no progress has been made in suppressing the illicit trade in narcotic drugs and its ramifications. The sources of supply remain largely untouched, clandestine bulk trafficking into Hong Kong continues unabated on an enormous scale which in turn leads to manufacture and wide-spread
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