Sessional_Paper_1929 — Page 271

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HONG KONG.

MEMORANDUM ON THE USE OF OPIUM IN HONG KONG.

1929.

Part I.

THE SITUATION AS REGARDS THE USE OF OPIUM

PREPARED FOR SMOKING.

No.

13 1929

Smokers.

1. It is difficult to give any accurate estimate of the numbers of persons in Numbers of the Colony who use opium. It was the considered opinion of a Committee which was appointed by the Government in 1924 that some 20% to 25% of the adult Chinese population, including some 1% or 2% of the adult female population, used opium, and it was thought at that time that there had been a slight tendency towards an increase in the percentage during the previous six or seven years.

2. The above-mentioned Committee considered that there was no Chinese Popular public opinion hostile to the use of opium and, in fact, that the practice of opium opinion on smoking had a very large measure of popular support. Nothing has transpired of re- opium. cent years to indicate that popular opinion had undergone any change.

3. Two factors contribute to render it impossible to give any accurate es- Consumption timate of the quantity of prepared opium consumed per head of the population.

per head of population.

Difficulty of ascertain-

The first of these factors is the difficulty of ascertaining the actual population ment. of the Colony.

According to the census taken in 1921 the population was then 625,166, but in 1924 the above-mentioned Committee regarded 1,300,000 as very much nearer

the mark.

The population is, moreover, subject to great variations occasioned by the influx of labourers when conditions are favourable in this Colony and to other in- fluxes of refugees when conditions in South China are disturbed.

A very large floating population also contributes to the difficulty of accurate ascertainment.

The second factor is the impossibility of determining with any accuracy the amount of opium which is smuggled into the Colony. In recent years the figures of actual seizures of smuggled opium have fluctuated between a maximum of 300,567 taels in 1923 and 48,450 taels in 1928.

The view has been expressed that the amount smuggled into the Colony is at least equal to the amount of Government opium sold, but in view of the high price of Government opium ($14.50 per tael) compared with the low price of smuggled opium (say $2.80 to $3.50 per tael), the difficulty of the prevention of smuggling owing to the geographical position of the Colony, and the diminution of sales of Government opium notwithstanding the increase of population it appears not unlikely that the amount smuggled very greatly exceeds the amount legitimately sold.