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and that the morphine habit shows signs of spreading." With both these statements we are in entire agreement; and in view of the appeal with which the Resolution concludos, we shall review the measures taken in this behalf by the Government of India.
22. The history of the regulation of morphia in India is given in the "Memorandum on Morphia in India" presented to the Shanghai Commission by the British Delegation. The most important regulations recently issued on the subject are designed to meet the abuse of the postal service by the importation and transmission of morphia and other drugs. A. Notification issued by us on the 4th February 1911 prohibits, with effect from the 1st June 1911, the importa- tion of such drugs by sea or land into British India by means of the post. Importation through channels other than the post is allowed only to persons holding permits issued under the authority of a provincial Government. The Collector of Customs is empowered to deal with exceptional cases. By another Notification of the same date, certain officers of the Post Office in India are empowered to search or cause search to be made for prohibited drugs When in course of transmission by post to any place in British India. found, such articles are to be delivered to the nearest excise officer, to be dealt with like articles confiscated under the excise law. The transmission of such drugs in foreign postal articles forwarded by other Postal Administrations in open transit (à découvert) through the Indian Post Office is also prohibited. Postal articles which are declared to contain such drugs, whether received for delivery in India or for transmission to foreign territory, are returned to the country of origin, as also transit articles of the foreign packet mail which are found on examination to contain the prohibited drugs.
23. The present law on the subject of morphia in India varies from pro- vince to province. In an Appendix will be found extracts from the different provincial regulations. It is difficult to present a generalised summary for India, but the following salient features may be noted. Morphia and other derivatives of opium are usually included in the definition of intoxi- cating drugs" in the Opium Rules. The manufacture of morphia and allied alkaloids or preparations is confined to Government, subject to the following exception. A licensed druggist or pharmacist or medical prac titioner (in some provinces the term "medical practitioner" is defined to include a pharmacist) may manufacture such drugs for medicinal purposes up to certain limits (the limit is 1 seer in Bengal) from licit opium. In the majority of provinces, but not in all, a private person may not manufacture such drugs. The limit of possession by private individuals is 10 grains in all provinces except Burma, where it is 5 grains. Amendments, however, are under con- sideration in Bengal, under which the ordinary limit could be exceeded by a licensed druggist, or by a private person on a medical prescription. Transport from place to place is carefully regulated, and so is export by private agency. The latest rules about import, applicable throughout the Indian Empire, have already been referred to. The sale, both retail and wholesale, is carefully regulated by license; and the conditions are naturally much stricter in the case of whole- sale than of retail sale. Certain relaxations are made in the case of well-known proprietary medicines containing opium, morphia or similar alkaloids.
The French authorities have recently consented to take measures for the prevention of the smuggling of morphine and other alkaloids of opium from their territories into British India.
24. The vicious use of morphia is almost entirely confined to hypodermic injections of morphia solution. Morphia and cocaine are generally found together. Dens for their administration and sale existed, at least a year or two ago, in Rangoon, where the lower classes are addicted to the habit. The recent strengthening of the law has, however, gone some way towards checking the evil and the proposed new Excise Bill for Burma, as already stated, makes it a penal offence to keep a place for administering any intoxicating drug. The prices of morphia ascertained in 1909 for Rangoon were: for wholesale importers, about Rs. 62 per oz.; for purchase by retail dealers, Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 per oz.; and for retail sale to the public, in half-grain and one-grain paper packets, at one anna and two annas a packet, respectively, i.e. Rs. 60 per oz. When the supply is short, these prices are more than doubled, and the profits of the trade are
enormous.
C
11
25. The quantity of morphia and allied opium alkaloids manufactured in India by private persons or licensed chemists or druggists is probably very small, and no figures regarding it are available. The only place where opium alkaloids are manufactured for Government is the Ghazipur opium factory in the United Provinces. The amounts manufactured for the last four years are shown in the following table :-
1906-7.
Morphine pure.
lbs. 0%.
0 2
1907-8. lbs. oz.
1908-9,
lbs. oz.
1909-10. lbs. oz.
89 0
Morphine hydro-chlorate
346 0 243 2
384
8
173 3
Morphine acetate
12 0
2 1
3 1
0
I
Morphine tartrate
0 *
} 0
26 10
Codeia
61 !
63 4
92 2
67 12
It will be seen that scarcely any pure morphine is manufactured. The greater part of the morphine required for medicinal and other uses in India is imported from European countries, as Turkish opium from which the imported drugs are prepared yields better morphia than Indian opium. Most of the morphine hydro-chlorate manufactured in India is exported to a well-known firm of chemists in London, and the remainder is distributed to the Government Medical Store Depôts and dispensaries, and to licensed druggists. Almost the whole of the codela is manufactured for the London firm of chemists above referred to. The small quantities of other drugs in the table are mostly for the use of Government Medical Store Depôts and dispensaries.
26. The licit imports of morphia from abroad, showing the countries of origin and the Indian ports of entry are shown below, so far as the figures are available :-
Year.
Port.
Froma United Kingdom.
From Germany.
From Belgium.
TOTAL.
4
::
075.
078.
OZA.
026.
1906-7
Calcutta
9,076
100
9,176
Total
9,076
100
9,176
1907-8
Calcutta Bombay Karachi
10,080
5
32
10,117
819
819
185
185
Total
11,084
5
32
11,121
1908-9
Calcutta
9,350
8
9,358
Bombay
540
24
564
Madras
2,517
2,517
Karachi
355
3
858
Total
12,702
35
12,797
1909-10
Calcutta
2,502
26
100
2,688
Bombay
36
18
49
Madras
5,514
5,514
Karachi
278
283
Total
8,890
44
100
3,534
1910-11
Calcutta
2,666
99
285
3,050
Bombay
780
780
Madras
3,820
3,820
Karachi
216
5
222
Total
7,482
100
290
7,872
These figures must not be taken as complete. At Rangoon, morphia is not separately recorded in the customs returns.
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