OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
7!197836]
Sir,
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No. 1.
Mr. Balfour to United States Chargé d'Affaires.
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REC [December 19
SECTION 1.
Foreign Office, December 10, 1918. I HAVE had under consideration, with the other departments of His Majesty's Government concerned, the suggestions contained in Mr. Page's note of the 23rd August. for the speedly enforcement of the provisions of the International Opium Convention of the 23rd January, 1912, and I now have the honour to submit the views of my Government as to the best means of attaining that eminently desirable object.
I may begin by declaring that the United States Secretary of State is fully justified in supposing that His Majesty's Government have not lost their interest in this important international movement for putting a stop to the abuse of opium and other habit-forming drugs, which, it is feared, the sufferings caused by the war may have the effect of encouraging. His Majesty's Government have indeed already given convincing proof of their determination not to stop short of any sacrifice in the attain- ment of this object, and would view with grave concern the failure of the efforts to put the Convention in force. In the action which they have taken during the war for the control of trade in cocaine and opium, their preparations and derivatives, His Majesty's Government have already gone a long way to carry out the provisions of the Convention. By means of emergency legislation they have placed the cocaine and opium traffic in this country under effective control, and have put great difficulties in the way of their being smuggled into other countries. Further, His Majesty's Govern- ment have definitely adopted the policy of controlling exportation with a view to the suppression of illegitimate traffic by limiting the export of morphia and cocaine to Japan to cases in which a certificate has been given by the Japanese authorities that the drugs are for use in Japanese territory, and are for medical purposes only. These measures, it is true, have been taken under emergency powers which will cease with the close of the war, but it seems impossible that this country should ever be allowed go back to the unrestricted sale and use of these drugs which existed previous to the war, and His Majesty's Government have under consideration the question of the continuance of the existing emergency measures.
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In regard to the definite suggestions contained in Mr. Page's note, I would point out that the American Government are mistaken in thinking that this Government have failed to carry out their expressed intention of ratifying the Opium Convention, as the British instrument of ratification was actually handed to the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs as long ago as the 15th July, 1914.
Mr. Page further stated that his Government were of opinion that the signatories of the Convention should not only ratify, but, by signing the Protocol at The Hague, should declare their intention to put the Convention into force at once, and he expressed the hope that this opinion would be endorsed by His Majesty's Government.
While fully sympathising with the United States Government in their desire to put the Convention into force at as early a date as possible, His Majesty's Government doubt whether their signature of the Protocol opened at The Hague would prove the speediest and most effective means of attaining that end. It is to be observed that the Protocol contemplates the putting into force of the Convention by the ratifying Powers, but does not provide for the actual bringing into force of the necessary legislative measures, and His Majesty's Government hold that little if any advantage would be gained by the formal putting into force of the Convention unless the obliga- to enact and carry into effect the necessary legislation is simultaneously imposed. Further, though His Majesty's Government would not go so far as to say that the co-operation of all the Siguatory Powers is essential to make the Convention effective, they still regard it as indispensable that the co-operatien of all the more important producing countries should first be secured. Otherwise the enactment of the restrictions contemplated by the Convention might only result in the transference of trade to other countries without diminishing in any material degree the sum total of the international traffic which it is sought to control.
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