The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-06-20
HOUSE COMMITTEE STRONGLY
ASSAILS THE MEASURE.
viii Work Harm and be a Source OK
Corruption-Use of Drug will be
Increased.

In the House this morning II strong
report of the Committee of Health
and Education on the opium bill was
read, and received, for considerations
with the measure when it comes mp.
Aside from the formal introduction,
the report is as follows:
The claim of those who favor the
act is that it will put an end to the
smuggling of opium and that il will
restrict its use. This claim your COM
mittee does not think can be made
good. Inquiry shows that it may make
the gains OF the smuggler less, but
there will be inducement for him
to smuggle. AS to the restriction of
its use your committee sees that the
act provides that opium shall only he
supplied to those who are now habit
tlated to its use. but what is TO pre-
vent those habitues from furnishing
the drug to others who have, never
used it. thereby swelling the number
of its users, who will. in time, de-
mand their supply of the legal pur-
veyor of the institution created by law
to pandei to the appetitcs of the VIC
Tins of this habit.
Under Section your committee
would point out that there is no prop
er definition of opium. For instance,
the form of opium used for smoking
is not the medicinal opium. nor can
opium as prepared for smoking be
used in medicine or for the manllfac-
ture of medicinal preparations OF
opium.
Under Section II the Board of
| Health is constituted body for the
importation of that which Is forbid
den to firms and individuals: the i'm
portation of an article which all agree
is the most harmful and degrading
lTrug within the reach of man, nuards
of Health are constituted to conserve
the health OF n people, they should
not be the agents that assist in has:
tening them to miserable grave.
Section III is one that will strike
every one who gives it thought as es-
sentially vicious one. The govern
ment physician. the district magis-
] trate and the sheriff or deputy sher-
Iif, Df the different judicial districts.
are, by this act. constituted an OPP
um Board" Would any one propose
! the appointment of government offi-
cials to act as a board to allow other
vices incident to weak humanity?
Can any one think that a self re-
specting. educated physician, one
whose mission in life is to heal the
sick. restore to health the afflicted and
lead to higher hygienic life would
so far forget his duty and calling as
to serve on a Board whose duty it is
to serve out the means of degradation
to erring fellow creatures? And what
would be the action of our Board of
Health, supposing any government
| physician refused to serve on an opi-
um board? AS the law reads there
must he government physician on
the board, and should a conscientious
man refuse to serve there would be
nothing to do but to cancel the COM
mission and appoint man who could
put his conscience in one pocket
while he put dollars in the other.
Then consider another member of
the Opium Board" the district
magistrate. On the one hand, he is
the dispenser of justice. on the other
he furnishes a victim with the means
of crime. This is an anomaly which
is self apparent and self ccnvicting.
An opium smoker might commit n
crime under the influence of the drug
and might have to be sentenced to
punishment by the very member
of the Board who assisted in furnish
ing him with the drug.
\ One of the many reasons that are
advanced for the licensing, OF. opium,
is that unlicensed it corrupts the Of
ficials. While we have good material
among district magistrates and depu-
ty sheriffs. it does not seem as if there
is any better material than there has
been among our police and customs
officials. and the means of corruption
are as likely to be used to defeat the
present law, as ever they were to de-
feat prohibition of the drug.