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3.
On the general question of opium-smoking it
may be convenient to recapitulate here what has always
been the policy of this Government. Some considerable
proportion of the very large Chinese population of
this Colony will continue to smoke opium whether this
practice is prohibited by the laws or not. This being
go, it seems best to have a Government monopoly for the
purpose of supplying exclusively for the local popule-
tion, uniformly high grade Indian opium (with a low
percentage of morphia) at a price so high as to tend
to reduce both the consumption per head of smoker
there
and ultimately the number of smokers; with this goes
the abolition of divans or any extraneous incitement to
smoke; and rigorous measures against the more harmfül
narcotice such as cocaine, morphine, etc,
4. Copies of correspondence with the Anti-Opium
Association are enclosed.
(sen.)
I have the honour to be,
etc.,
R.E. STUBBS.
Governor,
80..