The Washington times., 1923-05-05
DRASTIC ACTION
ONDOPE URGED
BY WALLIS
NJ. Y. Official Wants U. S. to
Break With Nations Which
Withhold Cooperation.

The problem of drug control was
thrown into the field of interna.
tional relationships at the closing
meeting of the national anti-nar-
cotic conference last night, when
Frederick A. Wallis, commissioners
of correction in the State of New
York, declared that the United
States should sever diplomatic rela-
tions with any country which de-
clined to enter into an agreement
for the suppression of the dope
traffic.
After brief but stormy debate
the conference declined to go on
record as favoring such a policy,
but the national anti-narcotic COM
mittee was designated as the proper
place for it's consideration. Many
delegates approved the stand taken
by Commissioner Wallis, but
thought the conference should pro-
coed slowly in recommending po-
litical action.
Much Opium Used Here.
The address of Commissioners
Wallis revealed the fact that the
United States today has twelve
times the per capita consumption of
opium of any other civilized nation.
{ THE annual per capita consump-
ton in Italy is one grain" he said.
Germany consumes two grains per
capita, Great Britain three and
France four The United States,
which does not grow one CONNER
cial poppy plant uses the enormous
amount of thirty-six grains.
Even India, the home of the
poppy plant, does not consume
more than twenty-seven grains per
capita yearly
Failure of previous efforts to con.
troll the opium traffic was outlined
by Commissioner Wallis.
THE first Hague conference in
1911-12 failed" he said, because
only twelve nations participated
The second Hague conference had
no better success, because Germany
and Great Britain, approving opium
suppression in principle refused
to sign the agreement growing out
of the convention.
mo one nation can cure itself of
drug addiction" he continued. 'The
contagion of opium is diabolical. 1t
will continue to increase and spread
until nonmandatory goodwill reso-
buttons of the nations are made
mandatory.
There is but one way to produce
this result. Paltering and faltering
representations will prove as futile
in the future as they have in the
past. Like. the drugs themselves
narcotic diplomacy is EMBEDDING the
world with it's insidious and almost
invincible coils"
Harrison Act Inadequate.
Commissioner Wallis said the
Harrison narcotic act was iTnpotent
to control the drug traffic, mas
much as the consumption of opium
is increasing by leaps and bounds
in the United States. He denied,
however, that there was any rela-
t.onship between prohibition and
the grip of the drug habit on the
nation. He Indicated an alcoholic
was not likely to drift into drug
addiction.
at is conceded by experts" he
said, that the problems presented
by alcohol are of different nature
and unrelated to the narcotic habit,
that neither is a substitute for the
'other, and that present conditions
were in the making long before
there was talk of prohibition.
Furthermore, it is conceded that
the dry law does not add to the
number of drug users"
The conference closes today with
a round table discussion by the ma
tional anti-narcotic committee of
definite policies with regard to the
limitation of drug production. A
number of important proposals, in
Guiding that offered by Commits
sioner Wallis, are before the COM
mittee.