Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-02

ger0uS drugs ana the n1gher-
T ups" behind Illicit peddlers
~ who prey on human bodies
and souls for financial gain
the so-called respectable pharmaceuti-
cal manufacturers-are expected to
flood the world. and particularly the
United States, Canada and South
America, with cocaine, heroin and NOR
phine the next IL months.
Since the end OF the World War,
despite all efforts to combat the
menace, manufacturers and trafickers
of dope" have made millions Of dol
lars in profits. Drug addiction has in
creased incredibly. Factories, speeded
up to supply wartime demands, have
continued to turn tens Of opium and
coca leaves into habit-forming mar
cotics. Illicit peddlers have drllmmed
up business in all parts of the world
China, India, Egypt, as well as the
ly drug user decade ago, the num-
Der Of addicts rose to 100000 out Of
100000 people, about per cent OF
the total population, according to Gen.
Russell Pasha, British director of the
Cairo police. Swiss peddlers conducted
a systematic educational propaganda
in Egypt in their drive to build up
cocaine and heroin had powerful
aphrodisiac and regeneration qualities.
When the traf1ckers we're apprehended
the guilty got of with insignificant
fines or inconsequential Jail sentences
and continued again their business"
Tons for Debauchery.
In China, India and the Orient IL
licit drugs penetrate actually by tons
to debauch a helpless population.
, Tempted by huge profits (Which
amount to billions) drug factories for
! supplying the clandeStine trade have
sprung up in Turkey, where an almost
unlimited supply of Anatonian, Per-
sian and Serbian opium is readily
for years has officially delivered CO.
caine, heroin and morphine to some
of the allied powers as reparation pay
ments-narcotics which even today
cannot be traced and which far exceed
the legitimate annual requirements OF
the entire world
For 10 years the Leagues opium sec
ton has fought the drug traffic inef-
fectively. Every move has been blocked
by unseen hand5." High-priced ex-
perts, employed by the drug interests,
have obtained seats in conferences in
Geneva. theoretically to protect"
legitimate interests, but actually to
blast loopholeS in every international
convention drawn up to control the
1
ton to the Geneva Conference OF
1924-25 departed in disgust. After a
period of non-co-operation the State
Department again took up the fight
and sent delegates to the Leagues
Advisory Commission and TO this years
conference in which Sc countries, IN
GLIDING Russia, Turkey, Egypt, naA,
Hedias, Mexico and other montague
nations participated.
of frnQfU Drawn u,
and to date signed by about 80 coun-
tries. the manufacturers have year OF
grace in which to get rid of immense
surplus supplies of narcotics before m
terr1ational control becomes effective.
But there are many "niggers IN Inc
woodpile" and there is little hope tnat
the pact will enter into force oe1ore
next July, when the signatories are
pledged to assemble to consider further
measures. The failure of four produc-
ing countries to ratify is suf1cient to
enable the rest to evade their oollga.
tions. It would be a political miracle IL
Moscow and Angora ratified.
Seizures Facilitate Traffic.
Another "joker" in the treaty Is the
exclusion of a provision, demanded by
a majority, that all illicit drugs which
are confiscated be destroyed. In many
countries contraband is known to have
been seized deliberately in order to Ia
cilitate its diversion into the Illicit trail
fic, and incidentally double the proflts
of the dealers. For example, narcotics
seized in France are sold at public auc-
tion CASUALLY to the original venders) on
the sole condition that they be taken
s out of the country. Since the drugs
were neither imported" into France nor
manufactured thsre, they cannot appear
on the official records as exports, "
hence they are legally non-existent, and
can be easily lost" Destroyed contra
band would pass out OF existence auto
matically; conflscated drugs which are
sold III France can get quick clearance
into the illicit traffic.
Although most of the contraband
now seized in European ports-Mar-
seille, Saloniki, Hamburg, DanNg, etc.
rs ostensibly intended for the Far
East, it is no secret among those lin the
know" that the narcotics are intended
for North and South America. Drugs
go where money is found, and incident
ally the highest prices.
A very amazing disclosure Is made in
a report from the head Office of the
Federal Police of Vienna, dealing with
the ramifications and extent of the in
ternational traffic in Illicit narcotics.
Lest there be any misunderstanding it
can be disclosed that the following quo
LdClOQ Is L3k6n ITOH CLl6 league OIL"
cial document o. c. 876 Cd of June 16.
Regular Traffic Secondary.
zone fact, however, there is no de-
nying, and that is that the illicit traffic
in narcotics puts the regular traffic quite
in the shade. In the light of docu-
merts, the alkaIoid industry would APP
pear to be working solely for the Illicit
traf1c, and this applies whether the
firm has a worldwide repiltation or
whether its products do not enjoy any
special repute in the circles concerned.
"All the big cases of smuggling with
Huhich the narcotics branch at Ya0lice