HACKING AT THE DOPE OCTOPUS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 117, 18 April 1931, Page 10

HACKING AT THE DOPE OCTOPUS.

(By Leslie R. Aldous.) Constant vigilance is the price which the nations of the world must pay for success in fighting the menace of the dope traffic. This lesson has been forcibly driven home at the League of Nations discussions recently held at Geneva, where reports have been received from all parts of the globe. The scourge of dangerous drugs might be likened to a gigantic, intangible octopus; almost as fast as one tentacle is lopped away by the League of Nation? another swings round to seize humanity in its grasp. No continent can escape, not even those most distant.

Many countries, in Europe, a few years ago, were happy hunting grounds for the scoundrels who reaped fabulous profits by smuggling morphine, heroin and cocaine. During the past two years, largely owing to the influence of the League and the wide application of its Opium Convention, loopholes have been blocked up. Striking reforms, in particular, have taken place in France and Switzerland—in the latter country the manufacture of opium derivatives has been cut down by about 75 per cent. Unfortunately, the profits at stake, often running into thousands per cent, on the outlay, are so enormous that the traffickers are not easily deterred. When one country becomes too hot for them, they disappear to some other place from which they will be able to operate with less fear of detection. Just at present, the worst characters in the illicit drug business seem to have congregated in the neighbourhood of Constantinople. By comparing the evidence available from places as far apart as Shanghai and New York, the League of Nations has shown that the majority of important seizures of illicit cargoes of drugs during recent months could be traced back to Constantinople. In Turkey, three big drug factories have been established, the whole of the output of which is believed to pass into the illicit traffic. Russell Paslia. head of the Egyptian Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, reports to the League that the Turkish factories have exported four tons of heroin and two tons of morphine in six months, whereas two tons of heroin would supply the Whole world’s legitimate requirements for a year A special League of Nations conference in May will be dealing with the problem of restricting the output of drug factories in different countries to medical and scientific requirements. The attitude of Turkey complicates the situation for, otherwise, a large measure of agreement has been reached among the countries concerned. Every opportunity has been taken at Geneva to urge upon the Turkish delegate the need for reform and stricter governmental control over the factories. There are signs that this may have some effect upon Turkish policy. The League’s moral influence has, in the past, been sufficient to change the opium policies of Persia and India, sa the case of Turkey is by no means hopeless.