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exercise of the profession of pharmacy in the Concessions; that item (0, as to the establishment of uniform provisions of penal laws concerning offenses against any agreement that the powers may make in regard to opium production, would mean a modification of French penal laws, and that this is such a grave question that The Government of the Republic is not prepared to bring it up in the French Parliament. As to items (4) and (m), which raise the question of the right of search, and about which public opinion in France has always shown itself renounce its particularly susceptible, the French Government would not principles in this matter to prevent contraband opium. The French Govern- ment also reserves its opinion in regard to item (n) which involves the question of
international commission to supervise any international agreement concluded by the Conference. Within the limits thus indicated the French Government has declared its readiness to study proper measures to bring about the gradual suppression of the unnecessary production and misuse of opium.
The German Government agreeing to the general principles of the tentative programme, in particular consented that the morphine and cocaine questions be made the subject matter of deliberatious of the Conference.
The British Government, after pointing out that the illicit traffic in nor- phine and cocaine in India, China and other Far Eastern countries is becoming more grievous and deadly than opium smoking, and that such an evil is certain to Rucrease, as the restrictions which are now being placed in India and China on the production and use of opium become more stringent, suggested that the Powers participating in the Conference should definitely consider beforehand the question whether they would be prepared to make a statistical study of the manufacture and trade in morphine and cocaine and agree to impose severe restrictions on such manufacture of, and trade in the drugs in their respective territories. Further, the British Government has stated that they take exception to those items of the tentative programme mumbered (4), (), (m), and (n); and that they will not be prepared to discuss in the Conference:
1. The arrangement unade between His Majesty's Government and China respec- ting the progressive restriction of opium imports and of opium production in China, i. e. the so-called ten-year agreement);
2. Other existing treaties between the two countries.
It may be stated that all of the participating Governments have accepted the proposals of the British Government in regard to morphine and cocaine.
The Chinese Government has suggested in regard to item (a) of the tentative programme that, in drawing up laws and regulations there should be no inter- ference with the sovereign rights of any nation; that, in regard to item (7) that offenses against any agreement that the Powers might make, should be punished by each country according to its own penal laws; that, in regard to item ( that the right of search of vessels should be restricted by the Governments concerned to vessels found within their own territorial waters; and in regard to
item 60 that there would be no need of an international commission to supervise any agreement reached by the Conference and assented to by the interested Governments.
The Italian Government has pointed out the importance of the question of the traffic in Indian hemp drugs to that Government, and has suggested that the Conference might advantageously deal with the question of this traffic.
The Netherlands Government, while agreeing to the general principles of the tentative programme. at the same time observed that for the Netherlands Indies where the culture of the poppy does not exist and where the opium regie is, or will be introduced, the question of most importance to the Nether- lands Government is for the Conference to arrive at an agreement as to measures. to be taken to combat the smuggling of opium.
The Russian Government, while approving in principle of the general tenor of the tentative programme, took exception to item () inasmuch as there is almost no production of opium in Russia, and for that reason the restriction and control of the cultivation of the poppy, as provided for by that item, would be superfluous as far as Russia is concerned, and would appose a serious obstacle to the development of one of the branches of Russian agriculture.
The other powers have accepted the tentative programine as a basis for discussion, reserving their particular views upon it which will be expressed at the Conference itself.
You will sen, therefore, that, although the tentative programme proposed by the United States has been in some respects narrowed by the reservations made by several of the Powers, generally speaking the scope of the work of the Conference has been broadened by the suggestions that it include in its delibera- tions the question of the manufacture of and trade in morphine and cocaine and the Indian hemp drugs. It therefore seems to this Government desirable that production of and traffic in all babit-forming drugs which have been proved to be a menace to the moral, physical and economic welfare of the world should be considered by the Conference and adequately dealt with by it in the spirit of Resolution 5 of the International Opium Commission, which places a ban on all drugs which appear on scientific inquiry to be liable to abuse and productive of the ill effects of opium, its derivatives or preparations.
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