Hickory daily record., 1922-06-12
WORLD PROBLEM OF OPIUM

l
! tie League OF Nations, which recent
ly closed it's session in Geneva, is
! taking very practical steps in dealing
-, w.th the whole question Of drug sup
| piession. In the final analysis there
! is but one solution to the problem
and that is the restriction Of the pro
!, duction. This applies equally to opium
and cocaine The spread of the latter
habit can be traced to the immense
new areas in South America ant
elsewhere devoted to the cultivation
! of the coca plant. 1t is here that the
first check must beapplied-not tC
the manufacture, which is the see
ond step. 1t is obviously easier tc
choke the spring than the swelling
river.
! AS for opium production is the
crux Of the situation. This is not a
new opinion. 1t has been propound-
ed many times by men eminently fit
ted to speak. .Sir John Jordan has
said that opium werever grown
would always reach the consumer
and that the only way to solve the
problem was to restrict production
throughout the world. A resolution
To this effect was introduced by Dr.
N,Gllington koo at the meeting of
the council of the League last June
1t was unanimously accepted, and
marked great advance in the study
of the opium question. It was Dr.
Koo's contention that the desired OBJ
iect Of restricting the tariff in dan
perous drugs to legitimate purposes
could never be attained so long as
their porduction was very greatly IN
excess of medical and scientific re-
This is particularly true
in the case Of the United States
where the drug question is acute. NO
government has passed more restric-
tive legislation, but from the very
nature of the drug all legislation is
futile while there is check on the
production.
II egitimate" an Unfortunate Term
1t was unfortunate therefore that.
tho position of the council was re
ro1scd BY the assembly when it was
proposed that the word "legitimate' /
be submitted for 'medicinal and
scientific" This would seem but a
minor alteration. "Legitimate,' how |
ever, is very elastic term, and IN |
this instance bears directly upon the
whole question of opium cultivation
The reasons for altering the decision /
Of the council were based primarily |
upon the declaration of the Indian ,
delegate as to the legitimate need Of
the Indian population for opium.
This opinion is not based on scien-
tific fact, and therefore should not be
allowed to pass unchalenged It is
true that the natives of In
liza are in the habit of taking opium I
% far greater extent than has ever !
been sanctioned by medical author
tiles In the West. It is also possible |
that these consumers Of opium would |
strongly protest against the drug be- /
ng taken from them More than this, |
it would be unqGestionably unwise |
abruptly to stop this practice today
Or to introduce any new element OF |
friction into a situation already suf |
ficently acute. No one who knows
India-and England's contribution to
the welfare of that great country
would wAfully add to her embarrass-
ment today. 1t is therefore, from no
spirit Of criticism, but simply the de-
sire of arriving at the truth that
leads one to ask, What is the legiti-
mate use. Of opium? Until this basic
fact be established we can never pro-
.eed very far with the question un-
ler discussion.
Under the British pharmacopoeia
acts opium is classed as poison, and
he laws of England are regulated in
such way as to place it out of the
reach of the majority ofthe people.
AS a matter of fact, we have abund-
ant evidence that opium consumed in
any form save for medical require
nents is injurious. 1t would seem,
however, that the lay mind is still un-
as may be seen in fire.
luent references to the opinion of
he Royal Commission sent to India
in 1894, despite Lord Morley's pro-
that che did not wish to
speak in disparagement of the com
but, somehow or other, it's
findings had failed to satisfy pl1blic