Opium.
FIRST DRAFT
139
HONG KONG KINYUTIVE
In view of the statement of policy made by His Majesty's
copy annexed. Government on 10th November, 1943, announcing the total prohibition
A of opium smoking in British and British protected territories it
will be necessary at an early date to repeal the consolidating
Opium Ordinance (No. 7 of 1932) and subsequent amendments and
simultaneously to take the requisite legislative steps to bring
raw and prepared opium within the scope of the Dangerous Drugs
Ürdinance (No. 31 of 1932).
2.
>
Thereafter it will be the duty of the Police Force, and of
any special preventive staff which it may be necessary to employ,
to take steps to deal with opium-smoking on the same lines as were
adopted in the years preceding 1941 to eradicate certain other
habit-forming drugs, in particular heroin.
The question of offering rewards for information about
opium, without which inducement the police are not likely to be
able to effect very much, will be complicated by the fact that the
protection of revenue (1.6, the Government Opium Monopoly) will no longer be a factor, and Funds for this purpose will have to be behin the ws. provided as they were for the anti-heroin campaign, Whitch similarly was of no financial benefit. 4 It will be desirable to
start a popular movement against opium-smoking, based on an
racial
appeal against national degradation, and this should be backed
by encouragement among the Chinese youths of the Colony of outdoor
sport of all descriptions such as had become such a feature of
local life in the years shortly before 1941.
It will suitable
probably be necessary to arrange in due course
in Khan Tung
Kuen
with the centen authorities for the treatment and restitution of
opium addicts on a payment basis (for genuine residents) similar
to that employed in the case of lepers and lunatios.
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