The Washington times., 1923-02-11
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lea were inclined to regard the
opium problem as confined to
China, with the United States
far away and safely out of the
danger zone. Americans scoffed
at the suggestion that they were
so weak as to fall victims to
drugs.
Today the scene has shifted. The
ravages of narcotics everywhere are
plainly observable before our own
eyes. Religious, moral, civic and
legal authorities all agree dope"
is the enemy that is threatening
the fabric of society in this and
other countries.
Official reports show the unlawful
use of morphine, heroin, codeiae
and cocaine is increasing in Ameri-
ca at a rate that alarms those
charged with responsibility for the
welfare of our people. Irreparable
injury is being done to the health
and morality of our citizens. Death
follows to an ever-increasing extent
it's continued use. And once man,
woman or child becomes an ADDICT,
the monster seldom loosens Its
grasp.
Estimates of the number of . adj
diets in the forty-eight States range
as high as 100000. The lowest,
the official estimate, is 1,OOO,coO::
Even on that basis, one out or
every one hundred persons in the
country is in the clutches of the
habit.
A special Treasury Department
investigating committee in 1919
found that the number Of addlcts
hen exceeded 1000 900. The ages
Of the addicts then was given as
ranging from twelve to seventy-flve
years.
An astounding fact developed by
this official investigating body was
that most of the heroin addlcts
were boys and girls under ~.
SURPLUS SOLD ILLICITLY.
To get the proper viewpoint in
considering this problem. one must
keep in mind two things. Dope
cannot be altogether eliminated from
the face of the earth. Medicine and
science must have it in limited
quantities. But the annual produc'
ton of opium, from which NOR
Dhine, codeine and heroln are de
rived, is 800 tons, while less than
75 tons are required for medlclnai
and scientific purposes. The growth
of coca leaves, producing cocaine
likewise far exceeds the require
ments of the sickroom and the
laboratory.
The inevitable result Of this con.
dition is that vast quantities OF
each of these habit-formlng drugs
tIn kH1YN
are released for Illicit sale and con-
sumption. The surplus is produced
solely because of the revenue it
brings.
Now, investigation has shown
that opium is obtained in paying
quantities from peoples cultivated
in extremely small areas of India,
Persia and Turkey, where the Pc
culiar soil and climatic conditions
produce peoples containing opium
.'ch in morDhia, codeine and heroin.
BY reason Of the restricted ter
ritory in which peoples can be
vrown in paying quantities. re-
@ulting in large revenues to the re-
spective governments, production
is easily comfortable by the exer
Use of the sovereign powers of
these governments 70 limit the eX-
oortation thereof. thus effectively
restricting production to the guam
tity required for strictly medicinal
and scientific purposes.
In the case of cocaine, the growth
of cocoa leaves, from which 1t is
derived, likewise is limited to GER
ain areas of Peru. Bolivia and the
Netherlands possession of Java.
Limitation of production here' too