CO129-482 - Public Offices - 1923 — Page 464

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CONTROL OF MORPHINE AND COCAINE

AND SALTS THEREOF IN JAPAN PROPER.

462

A greater portion of the medicines used in Japan was supplied before the European War by importation from Europe and America, and especially from Germany; but the war made it difficult to import medicines, and as the ar- ticles in store in the country ran short, the prices rose and threatened to become injurious to national hygiene, and moreover, as the growing scarcity of medicines abroad raised their prices even higher than in this country, they began to be re-exported to foreign countries, Accordingly, by Home Department Ordinance N° 18 issued in August, 1914, their exportation generally was restricted, and subsequent- ly from the considerations of the relations of demand and supply in this country, the ordinance was amended on eight different occasions, and those articles, the production of which in this country was estimated to be plentiful, were gradually released from this restriction upon exportation; but morphine, cocaine, and heroin which might be put to evil uses were not released from this restriction to the last. Attention has since been given chiefly to the con- trol of exportation to China and Kuangtung Province; the exportation of these medicines requires the permission of the Minister for Home Affairs, permission is only given for those intended for use in medical treatment, and also, to prevent secret exportation, by consultation with the authorities of the Finance and Communications Departments and by instruction to local governors, the condition of business of those engaged in export and import trade is inspected and efforts are being made in concert with the Japanese authorities in China to make sure that there are no infringements of the regulations. It is, however, deep- ly to be regretted that unscrupulous traders and Chinese in this country frequently plot together and carry out by skilful means secret exportation of these medicines. Re- cently, on the 6th December, 1920, was issued Home Depart- ment Ordinance N° 41, concerning the control of Morphine and Cocaine and Salts Thereof, which was based on the Sti- pulations of the International opium Treaty; its principal object is to restrict importation and exportation and con- trol manufacture and sale. It came into operation on the 1st January, 1921, It brings under contro all the medi-

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