CO129-387 - Individuals - 1911 — Page 167

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In the Transvaal the importation of opium was

prohibited by law in 1909 except under permits

issued only to chemists and druggists.

II

Far Eastern Territoris

The legislation as to opium and as to morphia and

other drugs in these colonies and protected states,

although connected,are best considered separately.

(a) Opium.

In Weihaiwei and

The regulation of the opium traffic, by which is

meant trade in opium whether prepared for consumption

or not, depends on the possibility of the adoption of

stringent measures of repression.

Ceylon where the number of opium consumers is small

and the population more or less stable it has been

found possible to institute a system of registration

which will gradually abolish opium consumption, wher 328

in Hongkong and the Malay Peninsula where the Chinese

population fluctuates and fresh immigrants are con-

stantly arriving, registration is considered to be

impracticable.

The steps taken in Weihaiwai and Ceylon to abolish

the use of opium may be stated as follows:

In 1909 the Commissioner of Weihaiwei under the

instructions of His Majesty's Government promulgated

an Ordinance regulating the traffic.

By its provisions

no person may import, possess, sell or buy any opium

whether prepared or raw unless he is either a qualified

(in which come

medical man or chemist where permitted to deal in

opium for bona fide medicinal purposes,) or a person

who is licensed by a Government medical officer to smoke

or otherwise use opium on the ground that deprivation

of the drug would injure his health. Such licensed

consumers are registered and, as they die out, the use of

opium will gradually be abolished. The law further

provided that no person might be licensed who was either

not of full age or a woman, though the latter could

obtain a licence by special sanction of the Commissioner.

An additional safeguard against the consumption

of opium by persons hitherto unused to it was provided

in the clause of the Ordinance which prohibits the

existence of opium divans.

No opium, whether raw or prepared, may be exported

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