Evening star., 1932-04-24
AMERICAS FIGHT ON DOPE
is EXAMPLE FOR WORLD
Addicts in U. S. Show Huge Decrease
Since 1914, Despite Shrewd Politics of
Opium Bloc to Keep Drug Business.


needs OF the dope traf1ckers. Further
investigation disclosed that one of the
factories at Istanbul had been establish
ed solely to supply the Illicit trade
International narcotic authorities had
been selling large quantities Of Turkish
made drugs In various diSguises at
Marseilles, Rotterdam, Hamburg and
Hong kong on ships coming from
Istanbul, and in December of last year,
American agents captured a half ton
Of morphine at New York on the
Steamship Alesia, which had arrived
from Turkish port. This seizure, one
Of the biggest ever made in this
country, brought an immediate protest
from the State Department to the
Turkish government, which led to the
promise Of the Turkish government to
place her drug factories under strict
supervision and control where they
would manufacture only for bonafide
orders attested by an import certificate
from the country Of destination.
La Guardia introduces Bill.
About that time there was introduced
in Congress by Representative La
Guardia of New York. bill directing
| that all boxes and cases coming into
the United States from Turkey be
broken open to see that they did not
conceal contraband drugs A gentle
threat of retaliation was contained in
the measure, and it doubtless Influenced
the Turkish decision to a great degree
as other Turkish exporters naturally
protested that they did not want their
shipments moleSted merely to protect
dope smugglers.
Largely through the energies Of the
American delegation, two drastic arti-
cles were written, into the new Geneva
convention, by which its provisions
we're extended to every derivation OF
opium and coca leaf, synthetic drugs
included. The inclusion Of synthetic
drugs was a tremendous victory for the
advocates Of rigid control because
chemists are now seeking a synthetic
morphine. which, II found and released.
would flood the world in the absence
of international restriction. destroying
instantly all the progress that had been
made toward conquering the evil. Here
| the resistance Of the opium bloc was
again overcome.
The second article brings under con-
troll the so-called exempt drugs"
which had appeared in previous condi-
ton. At all three drug conferences,
bitter fights have revolved around the
exempt drugs issue. These drugs,
roughly defined, are those which are
not considered habit forming, or from
which dangerous drugs might be ex-
| tracSSd, They always have presented
safe refuge for the unscrupulous manu-
facturer, who could use them as blind
TO make large quantities Of narcotics
for the Illicit trade
Codeine. a drug that Is made from
morphine by a simple chemical treat
ment, was classified as an exempt
drug" and 1t became the pivotal point
| in "a Anln "a al ~
article. Codeine Is considered by many
doctors to be the most valuable of all
drugs because 1t Is safe, being nom
habit forming, while at the same time
| retaining the properties Of dangerous
narcotics, and II used in tremendous
quantities all oves the world.
Codeine INFUSION Argued.
Codeine accoun4 for most OF the
morphine that IL manufactured, and
much Of the mofbhine that finds its
way into Illicit channels Is made osten-
sfbly for conversiofl into codeine. The
American delegation insisted that its
inclusion was essential to adequate
control, but the opium bloc argued that
doctors would never stand for It's cir
transcription. Because of the scientific
way in which the Americans presented
their case, outlining its potential dam
| 6CA W OA4C WAOIC O1
codetne was placed on the restricted
list.
While the conference at Geneva wit
messed the enactment Of the most
sweeping measures to which the nations
OF the world have ever set their hand
In the fight to check and wipe out the
ravages of the dope evil, and the occa-
sion marked in this great humane
cause, the efforts to crush the trafic
| within al
gressed vigorously and vigilantly and
with satisfactory results.
In the past year the activities of
American narcotic agents have been
instrumental in breaking up several in
ternational and interstate dope rings.
They have seized several tons Of con-
traband here and abroad, the largest
seizure occurring IN New York, where
one and one-half tons of morphine
were captured in a single shipment.
This was in addition to the Alesia
seizure
Gratifying as these results have
been, still more gratifying is the fact
that the drug habit in this country Is
decreasing. Surveys made since the
Harrison narcotic act was enacted in
1914 show unmistakably that our drug
addictS are thinning out and there Is
no new crop to take their places. At
that time 1t was estimated that there
were 265,000 addicts in the United
States.
According to the figures of the Opium
ADVISORY Committee Of the League of
Nations, Is tons of morphine and her
DIN and other narcotics were diverted
into Illicit traffic last year. Granting
that the entire quantity was smuggled
into this country, it would be suficfent
to supply only 125, 900 addicts which is
indicative Of how fast the habit is
diminishing.
Due to Two Reasons.
This has been due to two reasons.
First, to the increasing difficulty of OBJ
tanning narcotics In this country. and
second, because by education the Amer
lean M people have been taught the hor-
rlole ravsges of the drug habit, and
they are stunning it. The rising gen.
Grafton is not narcotic minded!
Fifty years ago the drug evil was the
opium problem which was confined
largely to the Far East, and a remote
thing in the affairs Of the world. Twenty
years later in which time morphine and
heroin and other dangerous derivatives
of opium and cocaine had come into
wide use, the nations of the world awoke
TO md that the dread scourge had
seized them in its sinister grip. While
doctors had been welcoming these
drugs as a boon to mankind in the
treatment of the sick, they had become
at the same time a curse as hundreds
OF thousands became enslaved by their
malignant, seductive power.
Appalled, by the human wreckaRe
and misery caused by the drug habit,
victim nations at once undertook Us
suppression, but their restrictive meas
ures were largely nullifed by the fact
that they could not control their
manufacture. and an Illicit food OF
narcotics was pouring over their
boundaries which they were power
less to stop. Appeals to the drug
manufacturing countries for assistance
in checking this vicious stream me,