565
23
that purport te sure the opium habit, when those so-called medicines contain opium or other derivatives.
Opium is prepared by the Government factory in Bangkok for smoking purposes; there are two grades of opium, the first grade is made from Indian opium, whereas the inferior quality is more diluted and composed of Indian and Chinese opium.
The illicit use of morphine and other derivatives
is confined to medicinal purposes.
The illicit use of morphine in the form of hypo- dermio injection is rarely met with and the habit is not spreading.
As stated above, Siam does not produce epium becausą
It does not cultivate the poppy.
The Laws, aDecrees and Regulations on the importa- tion, sale and use of opium and its derivatives are found trans- lated in the Appendix: it is deemed not necessary to recruce certain regulations, which have been abrogated or which present little interest. (Annexes Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.)
In @nclusion, the attitude of the Royal Siame se it affecta Siam 18 Government regarding the opium, question as clearly defined in His Majesty's speech of the 21st September, 1908 (Ännexe No. 8). From its perusal it will be seen that it is the aim of the Government te ultimately suppress the use of opium, but to attain the desired end the line of policy to be followed must be carefully considered and very thorough investigation made into the matter, before venturing on experiments that might prove disastrous to the rovemic of the State without king any progress towards the suppression of the vice.
For as shown elecwhere, the opium consunod in Siam is wholly imported and controlled by the Govern nt whereby its salc ean be kept within reasonable limits. If, however, any sudden and spasmodic attempt at suppression of the traffic were to bc de, it would only result in, vast increase of smuggling. Conscquently His Majcstyle Governm nt has decided to suppress the trade by gradual stops: it has begun already by making the monopoly as complete ant effectiye as posible in taking over the Farme under the old syston (January, 1907). It has also placed in some districte salaricd officials to supervise the sale of opium and it is hoped that in the near
It is worth while future this syston will be generalized. mentioning that the number of opium shops in Bangkok since 1907 has been reduced from 900 to 700, and it is the intention of the Government to issue a Deoreé 111 ting the aximum numb. r of opium shops to that existing on the 16th November, 1908. When the now svaton is in fore, it is cxpected that the nube r ⚫f opium shops in Bangkok 111 bo reduced to 200,