CO129-465 - Public Offices & Others - 1920 — Page 523

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Edinburgh Anti - Opium Committee 522

For promoting the Objects of

THE HAGUE INTERNATIONAL OPIUM CONVENTION

President-LORD POLWARTH.

Chairman of Execution–A. H. F. BARBOUR, Esq., M.D., LL.B.4 Charlotte Square. Hem. Treasurer–T. S. Mantin, Esq., C.A., 19 Dean Park Crescent. Hon. Secretary-Rev. G. S. Mu, M.A., to Braid Road.

The Drug Traffic: The Peace Treaty: and Smuggling

HE Covenant of the League of Nations (Article 23) "entrusts the League with the general supervision of agreements with regard to the traffic in women and children and the traffic in opium and other dangerous drugs." Article 295 of the Peace Treaty runs thus: Those of the high contracting parties who have not yet signed or not et ratified the Opium Convention, signed at the Hague on 23rd January, 1912, agree to bring the said Convention into force, and for his purpose to enact the necessary legislation without delay," &c. This is, so far, satisfactory. Special recognition is due to Lord Robert Cecil for his efforts in the matter. Are anti-opium operations, there- bre, no longer necessary? By no means. The traffic is deeply Hanted. It has many roots and branches. Only continued vigilance an ensure its extirpation. We must see that our own and other Governments apply the Hague Convention in both letter and spirit. The kindred agitation against the West African Liquor Traffic has uffered disappointment. From utterances of the Colonial office it was xpected that the import of all foreign alcoholic liquors would be rohibited, but only the "trade gin" has been banned, and this can asily come in under other names. Our Government are not indifferent to the drug peril, but they have hitherto worked on akogether wrong nes. They have been content to regulate distribution instead of ontrolling and restricting production. In 1917 they made a beginning by supervising the export of morphia direct to Japan. But the dealers had only to send their consignments by way of France or America, and Now similar the death-dealing drugs reached China all the same. trangements have been made with those two countries. Only licensed arcels may be sent there. But other routes can be used. And when l legitimate outlets are guarded, the illicit traffic will still flourish. It like labouring to empty the trough while leaving the tap running. With destructive poisons so buikless and scentless, it is a futile policy. o land a cask of gin, or its equivalent in 36 dozen quart bottles, is cult. When the victims are reached, only about 4000 of them can be intoxicated, allowing a gill to each. This is bad enough. But two ances of heroin in an envelope will narcotise as many thousands, and a even-pound parcel, easily sent by post under another name, will debauch carly 200,000 bodies and souls, at a quarter of a grain to each. Now, from 20 to 30 tons of morphia and heroin are being secretly ent into China every year. Opium, some of it from India, is also Being smuggled in. The methods of the smugglers are countless.