CO129-395 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 355

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administration or possession of such drugs by anyone not licensed or not acting under the instructions of a licensed person was a punishable offence.

In October 1910 the ordinance was repealed by "The Deleterious Drugs Ordinance, 1910," which (1) vested the exclusive right of importing and exporting such drugs in the principal civil medical officer; (2) compelled medical practitioners and chemists to order drugs only through the principal civil medical officer, and to submit to examination by that officer the packages received as a result of their order; (3) extended the system of licensing to veterinary surgeons and dentists. For the purposes of the ordinance deleterious drugs include:-

1. Morphine and all salts of morphine and preparations containing morphine and any alkaloid or salt of an alkaloid of opium, and any solution or preparation thereof, but not including any preparation of opium or any preparation in which opium forms an ingredient, which preparation is used, or intended to be used, for smoking, chewing, or swallowing, or for external use. Such preparations are, of course, otherwise provided for.

2. Cocaine or eucaine, or any analogue including their salts, solutions, and preparations.

But some proprietary medicines which contain opium or its alkaloids are excluded from the operation of the ordinance.

Importation or exportation, except by or through the principal civil medical officer, is a punishable offence. In other respects the law was not altered.

No change has been made in the law in force in the Federated Malay States, and the conditions under which the drugs may be imported, sold, or administered, are irlentical with those obtaining in the Straits Settlements under "The Deleterious Drugs. Ordinance, 1907.”

Of the other Malay States under British protection Kedah and Perlis prohibit, under an enactment passed in 1910, the importation of drugs without the written permission of the head of the State Council.

In Hong Kong the restrictions on the traffic in morphine are more rigid than those- imposed on the traffic in cocaine or other deleterious drugs. Until 1909 the law in force was the Morphine Ordinance of 1893, which prohibited injection of morphine by unqualified persons. Under "The Opium Ordinance, 1909," morphine, which includes morphia and all salts of morphine and preparations containing morphine or its salts, may only be imported, sold, or dealt in by persons licensed by the principal civil medical officer. The regulations made under the ordinance forbid licensed persons to supply more than twelve " official" doses at a time, or to have in possession more than 5 lbs. of morphine at a time without the permission of the principal civil medical officer. Importers before taking delivery must declare the nature and amount of the drug imported. These regulations have also been applied to cocaine; but the provisions of the ordinance as to the importation of morphine do not apply to cocaine.

Under the Opium Ordinance and various Government notifications, issued in accordance with its provisions during 1910 and 1911, the export of morphine and compounds of opium has been rigidly restricted.

Export to Sian and the Netherlands Indies is only permitted on production of an official certificate from the country concerned that the morphine or compound of opium is required for the use of Government. Exportation to Macao can only be

permitted on production of a Government certificate that it is required for medical use in Macao or for re-export to a country to which it may lawfully be exported. Morphine or compounds of opium can only be exported to French Indo-China, Japan, the United States of America, and the Philippine Islands on production of an official certificate that it is required for medical purposes, There would seem to be no restriction on the exportation of cocaine.

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breign

Date.

1912

INTEL FOR USE MISCELL 2/9

COLONIAL OFF

HUND KONG

18397

C. O.

13397.1

02

Opuem Convention

14 JUN 12

351

3 June It writ be difficult to obitave reliable last previous Paper. cujn as to countries which prohibit or restrect unport frow opnem writil hrt 2t of Convention comes inte force.

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To 7.0.2. July 3.0. 19938.

Copy

Straits 186. 11 July 19928 I

Next subsequent Paper

19928

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