Evening star., 1932-04-24
BY II. j. ANSLINGER,

j" HE history OF the worlds strug-
gle to conquer the narcotic evil
Is fundamentally the age-old
i story of the conflict Of mans
greed against his finer and
nobler instincts. II man would sub
Innate his gross desire to profit from
the weakness and depravity of his
brother, the problem would swiftly dis
appear, but there is no sign that this
millennium has been reached.
No, the strict control of the produc-
ton, manufacture and distribution of
drugs, and the happier fact that mans
appetite for drugs is diminishing. espe-
cially In this country, hold the only
immediate hope Of a practical solu-
ton.
This control Of the worlds drug sup
ply for which the United States has
fought unrelentingly in leading the
world battle to stamp out the dope
traffic, and crush the smuggler, Is now
in sight. Far-reaching and drastic
measures enacted at the recent confer
ence of nations on drug control az
Geneva give the promise that the world
output of drugs at last Is to come under
effective regulation, which is the key
to the elimination of the Illicit and
lucrative trade in narcotics.
At The Hague in 1912, and at Ge-
neva In 1925, the nations Of the world,
aroused by the spreading menace of
the dope traffic, solemnly undertook
the same thing. Their pledges, how
ever, proved to be only empty gestures,
but this new agreement has teeth in it,
and while In some respects 1t has its
shortcomings, 1t represents the greatest
stride that has been taken toward
limiting and controlling the worlds
drug supply and the suppression Of the
narcotic evil!
Resembles American System.
In its broad features, the control
plan adopted at the Geneva conference
resembles the American system Of reg
ulatirg the production and distribution
of dangerous drugs. This system sim
ply is that the Nations medical needs
are determined in the terms of raw
materials and only such amounts per-
mitted to be imported for the manu-
facture of drugs. Vigilant supervision
Of distribution to prevent diversion into
Illicit channels is, of course, q COL
lateral step.
The Geneva conference provides that
the needs of the various nations are to
be estimated after the American system
and that the manufacturers of drugs
are TO restrict their output not to the
total of these estrmates, put to the
legitimate orde-s received within these
estimates. To carry out these pro-
visions, a model enforcement plan, also
similar to that employed in the United
States, vas recommended by the con-
vention to individual nations.
Embodied in this measure is the most
savage and destructive blow that has
been dealt the illicit dope traffic since
the agitation for its eradication began.
If the signatory nations conscientiously
enforce 1t, the manufacture of drugs
will be limited to the worlds medical
and scientific needs, and the large leaks
in the legitimate drug trade which have
been the principal source Of the snug
gler's supply, and the main obstacle to
successful control will b effectively
plugged.
That the smuggier snd t1ne peddier,
these human vultures who prey on
their fellow-man, will be cxterminated
at the same time by walling UP their
avenues of supply, is too much to ex-
pect, perhaps, but 1t will enable inter-
national authorities TO watch their ac-
tivities and cope with them more ef-
This conference was the first at
which the so-called victim countries
have emerged victorious over the manu-
featuring countries in defining meas
ures of control. The principal victim
countries are China, the United States,
Canada, Spain, Italy. Argentina and
Egypt. The chief manufacturing coun-
tries are Great Britain, Germany,
France, Holland and Switzerland, and
they form the powerful opium bloc
which has dictated the terms Of the
conventions which nations have pre-
viously signed for the international
control Of the traffic.
Opposing Forces.
In the series of three conferences
that have been convened on the subject
of drug control, these are the elemental
forces that have been arrayed against
each other:
The victim countries fighting in the
name of humanity to eradicate q
scourge that was fastening itself on It's
people;
The manufacturing countries, sancti-
moniously sympathetic, but cleverly op-
posing any measure that would serious
ly disturb the thriving industry that
had been reared among them by the
legitimate consumption Of drugs, and
was being richly nourished by the
Nlegitimate traffic.
There was another element, masters
of the international smuggling rings,
who likewise did not wish to see drastic
restrictions inflicted on the industry in
the fear that their source of supply
would be cut off. This force, while
iy,vieiblo uyia1dad j1eiIinYYc inf Ananra
at all the conferences and presented
another big stumbling block on the
road to adequate control
The consequence was that, while the
victim countries and the manufacturing
countries reached concord first at
The Hague In 1912 and again at Ge-
neva In 1925, the instruments they de-
vised to control the drug traffic were
eithsr so vague In their provisions, or
the provisions were Sd susceptible of
various interpretations, particularly
witt reference to the methods of en-
foruUaent, that they were virtually in
nocllyuS.
The situation was radically altered at
the Inst conference. Not only did the
victim countries succeed In obtaining
a convention providing broad and dras-
tic powers for the control of the manu-
facture of drugs and their movement
in international commerce, along with
the machinery to properly enforce these
measures, but they defeated the con-
troll plan advocated by the manufac-
turing countries. known as the quota
plan, which If 1t had prevailed would
have had the effect of establishing a
gigantic European cartel possessing a
virtual monopoly on the worlds drug
industry.
Turkey Supply Shut on.
While the Geneva conference was
acting to crush the dope evil, another
rich source of the illicit traffic was
being shut of through American
diplomacy, which succeeded in obtain
ing the pledge of Turkey to manufac-
ture only for legitimate business. Up
to three or four years ago Turkey made
no drugs at all, but three or four fac
tories suddenly sprans up In Istanbul
or its neighborhood, but none of their
output went to fill bona flde orders for
scientific and medical purposes, so far
as could be determined.