CO129-396 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 255

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THE OPIUM EVIL.

The one nation which has not been vitally affected by the inter- national movement initiated by the United States is the United States itself, except in the Philippines. In the islands there are model antinarcotic laws; but, in spite of repeated urging by the Execu- tive, the Congress so far has failed favorably to consider carefully drafted measures aimed to bring the continental United States into line and in accord with the principles now embraced by the Interna- tional Opium Convention. A good beginning was made by the Federal Government, as may be seen by reference to the opium act approved February 9, 1909. This act is imperfect--the only effect which it could possibly have being to prevent the legal importation into the United States of the vicious form of opium known as opium prepared for smoking.

The Federal Government legalized the importation of the latter form of opium by the tariff act of 1860, and from that year until the opium-exclusion act became effective on April 1, 1909, there were legally imported into the United States over 4,000,000 pounds of this debasing form of the drug on which the Government collected a customs tax of nearly $27,000,000. In addition to the legal importa- tion from 1860 onward, almost half as much again of this form of opium is supposed to have been smuggled into the United States. The evils, economic as well as moral, associated with the importation and use of this form of the drug can not be accurately computed, but what might be fairly called an underestimate of them was set forth in the report made on behalf of the American delegates to the Inter- national Opium Commission. (S. Doc. No. 377, 61st Cong., 2d sess.) Just prior to the assembling of the International Opium Commission at Shanghai in February, 1909, it became apparent to the Department of State that the American Government had invited the cooperation of 12 nations to mitigate or suppress the opium evil as seen in Far Eastern countries, but had failed to recognize that it had legalized the importation of that form of the drug which had been most baneful in its effect on the people of China and of other Asiatic States.

It was at once seen that it would be quite impossible for the American com- missioners to appear at Shanghai until the Federal Government had taken some step toward a house cleaning. This was promptly done in part by the passage of the so-called opium-exclusion act just after the International Commission had convened.

Animated by the example of the Federal Government, some 30 of the States have improved the intrastate legislation aimed to confine narcotics to legitimate uses, but since February 9, 1909--the date of approval of the just mentioned act-no further decided congressional action has been taken, and the United States is now in the position, after having received the cordial cooperation of 12 powers, of being far behind in the movement to accomplish the purpose to which the American Government set itself in the autumn of 1906, when the first steps were taken to secure such cooperation.

There is no doubt that during the sittings of the International Opium Conference at The Hague the American delegation was placed in a somewhat embarrassing position owing to the neglect of the congress to pass legislation which had been urged upon it by the executive, aimed to perfect the opium exclusion act of February, 1909, and to bring under efficient control the export and interstate commerce in opium and other habit-forming drugs. Both formally

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THE OPIUM EVIL.

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and informally, it was pointed out to the American delegates at that conference that the other nations could have little hope for a final suppression of the opium and allied evils by international action so long as the United States, which had initiated the movement, failed to adopt the standard of national control in vogue in several Euro- pean nations and in Japan.

Three bills with this purpose in view have been urged upon Congress since March, 1910. They are entitled as follows:

(a) A bill to amend an act entitled "An act to prohibit the importation and use of opium for other than medicinal purposes," approved February 9, 1909;

(b) A bill to amend the act of October 1, 1890 (26 Stat., p. 1567) regulating the manufacture of smoking opium within the United States;

(c) A bill imposing a tax upon and regulating the production, manufacture, and distribution of certain habit-forming drugs;

A fourth bill has been designed to carry out the pledges of this Gov- ernment as contained in resolutions 8 and 9 of the International Opium Commission and as now pledged by this Governemnt by virtue of article 16 of the International Opium Convention. The title of that bill is as follows:

(d) A bill to regulate the practice of pharmacy and the sale of poisons in the consular districts of the United States in China.

The bills (a), (b), (c), were drafted after a wide consultation with all the interests likely to be affected (see S. Doc. No. 377, 61st Cong., 2d sess.). They have the general support of the pharmacy boards of the different States of the Union which are charged with the enforce- ment under the police power of the States, of the State acts for the regulation of pharmacy and the sale of narcotics; of the legis- lative committee of the National Retail Druggists' Association; and of the legislative committee of the National Wholesale Druggists' Association,

Since the adjournment of the International Opium Conference on the 23d of last January, these bills (a), (b), and (c), have been care- fully revised by a joint committee composed of representatives of the Department of State and of the Treasury Department, and their speedy consideration has been urged upon the Congress by the Secre-

it tary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury. Finally,

be may stated that the President has commended to Congress, with his approval, the legislation in question.

First. By a message transmitting from the Secretary of State a report on the International Opium Commission and on the opium problem as seen within the United States and its possessions (S. Doc. No. 377, 61st Cong., 2d sess.);

Second. In his annual message to the Congress, December 7, 1910; Third. In a special message to the Congress, transmitting a report of the Secretary of State relative to the control of the opium traffic (S. Doc. No. 736, 61st Cong., 3d sess.); and

Fourth. In his message on foreign relations, communicated to the two Houses of Congress December 7, 1911.

It has been pointed out above that the United States had collected in customs duties, from 1860 until April 1, 1909, nearly $27,000,000 from the legalized importation of that vicious form of opium known as opium prepared for smoking, and that the use of this drug within the United States had caused an economic and moral degradation which could not be accurately computed.

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