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0003230
CONFIDENTIAL #
機密
APPENDIX 'B'
1.
Should the trade in and the consumption of
dangerous drugs be legalised or not?
It seems desirable to give some thought to this fundamental question for there is a body of opinion which holds the view that if people want to poison themselves by consuming drugs and perhaps to wreck and shorten their lives thereby then they should be allowed to go ahead and do so. This persuasion takes the line that to consume or not to consume is a personal decision for the individual to make, drugs to be available legally
for those who choose to indulge. There is another school of
thought which takes the view that since Government over a long
period has proved itself quite unable to stamp out the illicit traffic in drugs and their consumption by many thousands of people in the Colony, it would be better to control the trade properly by
way of legalisation. This approach is akin to the one widely held
in regard to the current prevalence of illegal gambling in Hong
Kong. But apart from these attitudes it is necessary to clear the
air regarding this basic issue because the policies and courses of action to be pursued by Government and the Voluntary Agencies must differ very substantially from those in force since World War II
should a decision to legalise be deemed to be the correct posture
for the future. First of all the common opiate drugs of abuse in the Colony will be reviewed, heroin, morphine and opium.
Heroin.
2.
In Hong Kong there is no medical use for heroin. It is
a powerful depressant drug with a high degree of addiction and tolerance. Taken regularly it is destructive to the human body and personality and leads to malfunctioning of the organic system, wasting and personal degradation. It can also cause premature
death taken over an extended period or through overdose.
short, it is not possible on medical grounds to advance anything in favour of legalising the production, sale and consumption of
In
CONFIDENTIAL
機密