This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
F 3237/17/10]
No. 1.
C
12979,
REC
[December 16.]
REG 17 MA 21SECTION 3.
Mr. Chilton to Earl Curzon.-(Received December 16.1
No. 186.)
Rio de Janeiro, November 19, 1920. My Lord,
I HAVE the honour to transmit to your Lordship, herewith, translation of a note from the Brazilian Minister for Foreign Affairs, enclosing translation of a letter from the Ministry of Justice and the Interior, replying to the note which Sir Ralph Paget addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on receipt of your Lordship's circular despatch of the 22nd March last, ou the subject of the export and import of opium, morphine, cocaine, heroin and their respective salts.
I bave, &c,
H. G. CHILTON.
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
M. Marques to Mr. Chilton.
Station.)
Rio de Janeiro, November 19, 1920. 31. le Chargé d'Affaires,
IN reply to note No, 31 from that Embassy, sigued by his Excellency Sir Ralph Paget, I have the honour to hand to your Excellency the enclosed copy of information which has been furnished by the Director-General of Public Health on the subject of the note above referred to.
I have further to inform your Excellency that the Minister of Justice has just informed me that his Excellency the President of the Republic solicited from Congress, in a message addressed to them on the 19th August last, the necessary measures called for in the enclosed copy of information.
I avail, &c.
AZEVEDO MARQUES.
(Translation.)
Enclosure 2 in No. 1.
Note by the Directorate Generul of Public Health.
THE Director-General of Public Health presents his compliments to the Director- General of the Interior, and returns herewith minute No. 116 of the 26th May last, relative to the note of the British Embassy, respecting the measures put into practice in view of the promulgation of the Opium Convention, which was attached to the communication from this Department of the 22nd instant. The convention alluded to took place at The Hague in 1912, representatives of Great Britain, United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Persia, Portugal and Siam having taken part, and had for its object the prohibiting of the importation and exportation of raw or prepared opium and the regulating of that of medicinal opium and its products, such as cocaine, &c. Brazil, represented by our Minister at that capital, signed the protocol In this convention it was stipulated that of the convention on the 16th October, 1920. those countries which had not accepted it would be deprived of such drugs, through the prohibition of their export on the part of the producing countries, even for therapeutical purposes. After the signature of the protocol, the Powers obliged themselves to establish the laws and regulations necessary to make effective the clauses of that document.
With regard to this matter, this directorate and the National Academy of Medicine were consulted some time ago by the Minister of Justice and Interior, when this latter body drew up a series of legislative measures which the Government were to be asked to put into force. From amongst these measures the following information was extracted:—
In view of the foregoing, it is the duty of this directorate to point out that it is most urgent that the Brazilian Government should ratify the obligation assumed on
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