CO129-364 - Public Offices & Others - 1909 — Page 417

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c

See Resolutions Nos. 2 and 3.

See Resolution No. 5.

See Resolution No. 6.

April last, no Opium may be imported into that

country. If there was one point more impressed by

the Shanghai Commission than another it was that

owing to the entire absence of uniformity in regard

to the different nationalities in the countries in

which Opium is consumed, it was not practicable to

make regulations, applicable to them all, for the

control and ultimate suppression of the Opium habit.

-

So far as I am aware the British Government

is not likely to seek the co-operation of any other

Power in carrying out its regulations dealing with

poppy cultivation and the use of Opium, unless it

may be Persia or Turkey and the latter of these

countries refrained from taking any part in the

International Commission at Shanghai. But where I

believe cooperation may by and bye be of great and

indeed inestimable value will be when the Powers have

made a searching and complete enquiry into the

subject of the manufacture and distribution of

morphine and other similar highly deleterious drugs

the abuse of which has far graver results than that

of opium, whether smoken or eaten. Further, scientific

and commercial enquiry is urgently called for as

regards many of the so-called Anti-opium remedies,

which are alleged to have more baneful effects than

the taking of opium itself.

In view of the opinions I have expressed

I presume that it is not necessary to deal with the

items