Evening star., 1932-04-24
Fight by United States on Dope
Sets Example Throug hout World

nopoly.
But their calculations were rudely
upset by Turkey, Up to this time
Turkey had not been considered a
manufacturing country, although 1t
was known that she was producing
large quantities for the Illicit trafiic,
large seizures OF contraband having
their source in Turkey having been
made. As she was about TO be de-
prived of this lucrative trade, Turkey
demanded a place in the charmed cir
Gle of legitimate manufacturing eoun-
tries, and fixed her quota as one-third
of the worlds needs. The opium bloc
was unprepared for this development
and Turkeys demands we're considered
preposterous, and the conference broke
up without getting anywhere.
Despite their unpleasant experience
with Turkey, the opium bloc fought for
the adoption of the quota plan when
the regular conference convened, be-
cause It guaranteed them large pro-
portion of the world trade In drugs.
Opposition to it was led by the Ameri-
can delegation, which attacked it as
nothing more than a scheme to set up
q European cartel to control produc-
ton and prices. The plan would have
had the effect of stopping American
export of drugs. 1t would have hit Japan
in the same way, only much harder,
as she manufactures large quantities
for the Eastern market. The United
States does not produce a great deal
of drugs for export but the American
attitude was that there was no rea-
son why this trade, no matter how
small, should be sacrificed to Euro
pean monopoly.
Advocated U. S, System,
The American delegation insisted
that any effective plan of control must
envisage the limitation of raw mate
rials that 60 into the factories for the
manufacture of drugs for medical
needs and it advocated the adoption
of the American systcm IF restriction,
which is based on this cApGiple. This
system provides for the direct limita-
tion Of manufacture by permitting the
importation of only such quantities
of raw opium and coca leaves as are
necessary for the country's needs as
determined by the Public Health Serv-
lee. OF course, 1t Is supplemented by
the rigid supervision of distribution.
AS the opposition to the quota plan
grew, the American proposals gained
favor. The Canadian delegation, par
tioularly, gave great impetus to their
adoption as the basis of the control
plan on which the convention even
tually agreed. The Canadians vouch-
safed the effectiveness of the American
system, stating that in all the seizures
OF illicit drugs in Canada, never had a
case OF American manufacture been en-
eountered. while narcotics produced in
the opium bloc countries were coming
IN in heavy quantities to supply the il
licit traffic.
When it became apparent that the
quota plan was doomed and that the
American ideas were to prevail in for
mulsting the treaty, the opium bloc
sought to riddle it with loopholes as
1t had done at The Hague and the first
conference at Geneva. 1t succeeded in
having written into the convention a
stipulation that manufacture would be
allowed up to the total of the estimates
OF their needs submitted by the various
countries, which would have had the
effect of practically nullifying the en-
tire agreement. Quickly sensing the
motive behind this move, representa-
tlves OF the victim countries forced its
elimination, and the conference finally
fixed legitimate orders within the limits
OF the estimates as the basis Of limita-
ton.
The American viewpoint likewise
preValled IN the consideration of the
question OF how newly discovered drugs
could be satisfactorily controlled. Ex
isting treaties provide the machinery
for determining whether a new drug is
habit-forming, but the American dele
cation took the position that 1t should
90 more, maintaining that often there
was such a long period between discov-
cry and control, that irreparable dam
age was done. Here again the resist
ance OF the opium bloc was encountered
and overcome.
Bloc's Methods Dilatory.
Its pet plan smashed, and the old
tactics that had been used so success
Iully at previous conferences proving
futile In the face of the determination
OF the victim countries to enact an ef-
lecuVe control program, the opium
Dloc resorted to dilatory methods, the
GERMAN delegation proposing to post
pone the discussion of raw materials to
future meeting. This too was voted
down as was the proposal to limit the
scope OF the treaty to only the we'll
known derivatives of opium and the
coca leaf such as morphine, heroin and
cooalne, ana 10 exclude codein and So
called manufactured preparations
which are not necessarily habit-forming
but whose manufacture in the absence
OF any regulation is potential danger
TO the whole program of control as it
permits the easy diversion of large
quantities Of drugs into the Illicit traf-
fic which presumably go into these
products.
While the treaty signed at Geneva
marks the longest step forward In the
history of the worlds fight to stamp
out the drug evil, considerable remains
to be done before it is accomplished.
The opium problem in the Far East is
virtually the same today that ii was a
century ago. China forbids the grow
ing Of the poppy, but this measure, like
Others designed to check the vice, has
been ineffective.
One of the main obstacles to control
is the opium smoking monopolies which
flourish in the Far East under the SUI
pervision of Great Britain, France, Hol-
land, Portugal and Japan. These mo-
nopolies, under which all opium smok-
ers are licensed and sold tax-paid
opium, are rich sources of revenue for
these governments and they are loath
to surrender them. Impelled by the
higher considerations Of humanity, they
agreed at The Hague convention to