LIMITING PRODUCTION OF HABIT-FORMING NARCOTIC DRUGS AND THE RAW MATERIALS FROM WHICH THEY ARE MADE. COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, Tuesday, February 13, 1923. The committee this day met, Hon. Stephen G. Porter (chairman) presiding. The committee had before it for consideration H. J. Res. 430 (and at a subsequent meeting, a reprint containing minor amendments, H. J. Res. 453, which was favorably reported). [H. J. Res. 453, Sixty-seventh Congress, fourth session.] JOINT RESOLUTION Requesting the President to urge upon the governments of certain nations the immediate necessity of limiting the production of habit-forming narcotic drugs and the raw materials from which they are made to the amount actually required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes. Whereas the unlawful use in the United States of America of opium (the coagulated juice of Papaver somniferum) and its derivatives (morphia, codeine, heroin), and cocaine (obtained from coca leaves-Erythroxylum coca) and other preparations made from these plants or their by-products, with attendant irreparable injury to health and morality and resultant death from continued use, is increasing and spreading; and Whereas the special committee of investigation of traffic in narcotic drugs appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury, in its report dated April 15, 1919, having considered the secrecy connected with the unlawful sale and use of these drugs, and the other difficulties in obtaining information which would give the exact number of addicts in the United States, says: "The committee is of the opinion that the total number of addicts in this country probably exceeds one million at the present time," and further says that "the range of ages of addicts was reported as twelve to seventy-five years. The large majority of addicts of all ages was reported as using morphine or opium or its preparations. Most of the heroin addicts are comparatively young, a portion of them being boys and girls under the age of twenty. This is also true of cocaine addicts," and as this report is in harmony with the opinion of many who have carefully investigated the subject; and * * * Whereas the annual production of opium is approximately one thousand five hundred tons, of which approximately one hundred tons, according to the best available information, is sufficient for the world's medicinal and scientific needs, and the growth of coca leaves is likewise greatly in excess of what is required for the same needs, and thus vast quantities of each are available for the manufacture of habit-forming narcotic drugs for illicit sale and consumption; and Whereas opium is obtained in paying quantities from poppies cultivated in small areas of India, Persia, and Turkey, where the soil and climate are peculiarly adapted to the production of poppies containing opium rich in morphia, codeine, and other narcotic derivatives; and Whereas in Persia and Turkey the growth of the poppy and the production of opium therefrom, resulting in large revenues to those respective governments, is controllable by virtue of their sovereign power to limit the exportation thereof and to restrict production to the quantity actually required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes; and Whereas the British Government in India, which derives large revenues from the growth of the poppy and the production of opium therefrom, has full power to limit production to the amount actually required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes; and 1. Whereas the production of coca leaves (Erythroxylum coca) is limited to certain areas of Peru and Bolivia and the Netherlands possession of Java, and their production is controllable by virtue of the sovereign power of those Governments to limit the exportation thereof and to restrict production to the quantities actually required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes; and Whereas the antinarcotic laws of a majority of the larger nations of the world provide severe penalties for dispensing habit-forming narcotic drugs without a record of the amount thereof dispensed, thus providing reliable data from which a reasonably accurate calculation can be made of the amount of these drugs needed for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes; and Whereas on January 23, 1912, as the result of the meeting of the International Opium Commission at Shanghai, China, in 1909, and the conference at The Hague in 1912, a treaty was made between the United States of America and other powers which was intended to suppress the illicit traffic in habitforming narcotic drugs, and notwithstanding that upward of seven years have passed since its ratification, the treaty and the laws in pursuance thereof subsequently adopted by the contracting powers have utterly failed to suppress such illicit traffic, by reason of the fact that the treaty attempted to regulate the transportation and sale of these drugs without adequate restriction upon production, the source or root of the evil; and Whereas failure of such treaty and the laws adopted in pursuance thereof to provide adequate restrictions upon production has resulted in extensive and flagrant violations of the laws by reason of the fact that the great commercial value of these drugs, the large financial gains derived from handling them, and the smallness of their bulk, which renders detection in transportation and sale exceedingly difficult, have induced and encouraged the unscrupulous to divert enormous quantities into the channel of illicit international traffic, thereby rendering partially, if not wholly, ineffective the treaty and the laws adopted in pursuance thereof; and Whereas in June, 1921, the opium advisory committee of the council of the League of Nations adopted a resolution urging the restriction of the cultivation of the poppy and the production of opium therefrom to "strictly medicinal and scientific" purposes, which resolution was approved by the council of the league but when said resolution was presented for final approval to the assembly of the league, which is composed of a representative from each nation which is a member thereof, it was amended by striking out the words "strictly medicinal and scientific" and substituting the word "legitimate" in lieu thereof; and Whereas the substitution of the general word "legitimate" for the specific words "medicinal and scientific" permits the continuance of the sale of enormous quantities of opium and its derivatives in many sections of the Orient by the opium producers of India, Turkey, and Persia, where it is "legitimate' to sell and transport these drugs in unrestricted quantities regardless of their ultimate use by the purchaser; and Whereas the continuance of the sale and transportation of such drugs, without restriction on their use, results in the diversion of large quantities thereof into the channels of illegal international traffic and in the unlawful importation into the United States, and the sale here for unlawful purposes, of preparations made therefrom, such as morphia, heroin, and cocaine; and Whereas the United States of America, in dealing with the traffic in habitforming narcotic drugs within its own territory and possessions, notably in the Philippine Islands, and in cooperating sympathetically with the efforts of the Government of China in dealing with its opium problem, has always been committed, without regard to revenue, to a program for the complete suppression and prohibition of the production of and traffic in them, except for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it is the imperative duty of the United States Government to safeguard its people from the persistent ravages of habitforming narcotic drugs. SEC. 2. That the effective control of these drugs can be obtained only by limiting the production thereof to the quantity required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes, thus eradicating the source or root of the present conditions, which are solely due to production many times greater than is necessary for such purposes. SEC. 3. That in the hope of accomplishing this end, the President be, and he hereby is, requested to urge upon the Governments of Great Britain, Persia, and Turkey the immediate necessity of limiting the growth of the poppy (Papaver somniferum) and the production of opium and its derivatives exclusively to the amount actually required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes. SEC. 4. That the President be, and he hereby is, requested to urge upon the Governments of Peru, Bolivia, and the Netherlands the immediate necessity of limiting the production of coca leaves (Erythroxylum coca) and their derivatives to the quantity exclusively required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes. SEC. 5. That the President be, and he hereby is, requested to report to Congress on the first Monday in December, 1923, the result of his action. COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., February 12, 1923: MY DEAR MR. SECRETARY: I am inclosing herewith a copy of H. J. Res. 430, which I introduced in the House of Representatives on January 31, 1923, réfating to the illicit international traffic in 'habit-forming narcotic drugs. By reason of their smallness of bulk and the secrecy connected with the improper use of these destructive drugs, and the large financial gains derived from their illicit handling, it is impossible to prevent them from reaching the consumer; therefore, the resolution is founded on the principle that a permanent and effective remedy can be obtained only by the limitation of the production of the raw materials to the amount actually needed for medicinal and scientific purposes. Inasmuch as international conferences usually result in compromises, by reason of the fact that, a unaimous vote is necessary to make the agreements resulting from such conferences binding on the nations participating therein, the resolution provides for a direct appeal to the offending nations on humanitarian grounds, as the misuse of these drugs has created an international affliction of such great magnitude that an effective remedy can not be secured by compromise. The failure of the Shanghai opium commission and The Hague conference to check this evil fully justifies this conclusion. The statesmen of Europe probably never fully realized the limitations upon the power of the President in the matter of the making of treaties until President Wilson failed to secure the ratification of the treaty of Versailles; therefore, the passage of this resolution by Congress before negotiations are initiated, will strongly impress upon the Governments involved that the representations of the President reflect the views of both the executive and legislative branches of our Government. Notwithstanding the fact that Congress will adjourn on March 4, I am hopeful, by limiting the hearings to a few days, of obtaining passage of the resolution before that date, and your views on the resolution at your earliest convenience for presentation to the committee would be very much appreciated. Yours very truly, The SECRETARY OF STATE. STEPHEN G. PORTER, Chairman. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 13, 1923. MY DEAR MR. PORTER: I have read your letter of to-day's date and its accompanying resolution with much interest. The object which you have in view-that is, the restriction of the commercial cultivation of the opium poppy and the coca leaf plant to quantities exclusively required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes-is one with which I am in entire accord. I can assure you of my deep interest in the work of narcotics control and of my willingness to forward in any way that I can the expressed views of the Congress on this important subject, I believe that the prompt passage of the proposed resolution, with the minor amendment suggested, will be an important aid in securing the desired result. If the commercial production of the raw plants from which opium products and cocaine are obtained can be minimized, the question of narcotics control will be greatly simplified. I shall be glad to place before your committee such information in regard to the narcotics-control question as is at my disposal. I am, my dear Mr. Porter, Hon. STEPHEN G. PORTER, House of Representatives. CHARLES E. HUGHES. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. If there is no objection, we will take up H. J. Res. 430, a joint resolution requesting the President to urge upon the governments of certain nations the immediate necessity of limiting the production of habit-forming narcotic drugs and the raw materials from which they are made to the amount actually required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes. Doctor Lambert, will you state your full name, residence, and occupation? STATEMENT OF DR. ALEXANDER LAMBERT, 43 SEVENTY-SECOND STREET, NEW YORK CITY. Doctor LAMBERT. My name is Dr. Alexander Lambert, 43 Seventy-second Street, New York. I am a physician, a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1888. The CHAIRMAN. Have you been practicing medicine continuously since that time? Doctor LAMBERT. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. With what hospitals, if any, are you connected? Doctor LAMBERT. I am attending physician at Bellevue Hospital. I am consulting physician at various other hospitals near New York. The CHAIRMAN. How long have you been consulting physician at Bellevue? Doctor LAMBERT. Attending physician since 1804; for 29 years. The CHAIRMAN. Have you made a study of the habit-forming narcotic drugs?Doctor LAMBERT. Yes; I have for a number of years, ever since I was an interne at Bellevue. The CHAIRMAN. Have you treated patients who were suffering from addiction? Doctor LAMBERT. Yes; a great many of them. The CHAIRMAN. I call your attention to the first paragraph in the resolution and ask if this statement is correct: "Whereas the unlawful use in the United States of America of opium (the coagulated juice of Papaver somniferum) and its derivatives (morphia, codeine, heroin), and cocaine (obtained from coca leaves-Erythroxylon coca), and other preparations made from these plants or their by-products, with attentant irreparable injury to health and morality and resultant death from continued use, is increasing and spreading," etc. Is the statement correct that morphia, codeine, and heroin are made from opium and cocaine from coca leaves? Docor LAMBERT. Yes; that is correct. is a synthetic product or preparation. does not occur naturally. Heroin is not made from opium. It The CHAIRMAN. It is made by subjecting morphine to the action of certain chemicals? Doctor LAMBERT. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. About how long ago was heroin discovered? Doctor LAMBERT. I believe it was first discovered in 1898, and came in this. country about 1909, and first begun to be dangerous about 1912. The CHAIRMAN. As I understand the matter the medical profession has been searching for many years for a narcotic that would not leave bad after effects or cause people to acquire the habit. Doctor LAMBERT. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. The discovery of heroin was thought to have solved that problem, but it did not do so. Doctor LAMBERT. It was claimed to have solved that problem, but did not do it. The CHAIRMAN. There have been many drugs discovered during the past 100 years that were supposed to solve the problems, but failed to do it. Doctor LAMBERT. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. Which of these drugs, heroin, morphine, codeine, or cocaine is the most destructive on human life? Doctor LAMBERT. What do you mean by destructive of life-which will kill the quickest? The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir. Doctor LAMBERT. Heroin is the strongest. It is about three times as strong as morphine. Cocaine and heroin are the most dangerous; if you try to kill a person, both can kill very quickly. The CHAIRMAN. Assume a person has acquired the heroin habit, is it more injurious to his health than the cocaine or morphine habit? Doctor LAMBERT. No; cocaine brings an insanity-an acute insanity-with it.. But heroin and cocaine both inflate personality. Cocaine is not a narcotic; it is a pure stimulant. Heroin inflates the personality the same way as small amounts of alcohol and will give a sense of inflated, happy personality, large ideas, and great assurances of wished-for accomplishments, and absolute assurance that one's own personality is everything that one wishes. Cocaine does that same thing with the wishful ideas of promises coming true. That is particularly contained in cocaine, and heroin also has this effect. The CHAIRMAN. What is the immediate cause of death of addicts to these drugs? Doctor LAMBERT. Heroin and morphine paralyze the respiratory center, and cocaine will paralyze the heart. The CHAIRMAN. Will you state to the committee your opinion as to the effect of addiction on the health of the addict? Doctor LAMBERT. First, in small doses, for a while it stimulates the personality; it stimulates the sense of personality; it stimulates the ideas, and then it produces sleepiness and inhibits actions. Morphine produces dreamy carelessness to one's environment, a blocking off of disagreeable memories. There is failure of elimination in the human body of its decomposition products. It produces the dreamy sense of dodging of responsibilties and desire to be let alone, and absolute indifference to environment, to responsibilties, and to others. Heroin cuts off the sense of responsibility, in the moral sense, much quicker than morphine. It destroys the sense of responsibility to the herd. Heroin addicts will more quickly commit crime and with no sense of regret or responsibility for it. The herd instinct is obliterated by heroin, and the herd instincts are the ones which control the moral sense, in the sense of responsibility toward others and the environment in general. Mr. COOPER. I was not here when the examination began. Are all of the drugs named in the Porter resolution habit-forming drugs? Doctor LAMBERT. Yes; every one of them. Mr. COOPER. Then, in that sense they are dangerous habit-forming drugs. Doctor LAMBERT. Yes. |