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Principles of International Control of Narcotic Drugs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2017

Bertil A. Renborg
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Extract

The fact is not very widely known that the League of Nations and governments acting in coöperation during a period of just over twenty years between the two world wars have built up an effective international drug administration spanning the entire world. It may perhaps be said that the general public has come to realize that a useful piece of work has been and is being done with good results, but only a few specialists know the main principles on which international coöperation in regard to narcotic drugs is based; and perhaps still fewer have any knowledge of the fact that to make possible effective control of narcotics it was necessary to create special international machinery with wide powers of supervision, regulation, and even sanctions. It should be mentioned at the outset that this international administration has survived the onslaught of the present world crisis which proved fatal to many other efforts in international coöperation. This signifies that the governments of countries of the free peoples of the world have maintained national control of drugs and have continued their coöperation with each other and with the League of Nations and the international drug organs. A proof of this is the fact that in January, 1943, one of these organs—the Supervisory Body—had received from governments of all the free countries in the world except one, Liberia, the estimates of the drug requirements for 1943 which governments are required to furnish under the terms of one of the drug conventions.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Journal of International Law , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , July 1943 , pp. 436 - 459
Copyright
Copyright © by the American Society of International Law 1943

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References

1 For text of the Convention, see this Journal, Supp., Vol. 6 (1912), p. 177. See articles by Hamilton Wright, this JOURNAL, Vol. 3 (1909), pp. 648, 828, Vol. 6 (1912), p. 865, Vol. 7 (1913), p. 108.

2 For texts of the Conventions of 1925 and 1931, see this Journal, Supp., Vol. 23 (1929), p. 135, and Vol. 28 (1934), p. 21. See also articles in this Journal by J. A. Starke, Vol. 31 (1937), p. 31, and Q. Wright, Vol. 18 (1924), p. 281, Vol. 28 (1934), p. 475.

3 See League of Nations Document C.455.M.193.1931.XI.

4 The 1931 Convention defines conversion as follows: “the term ‘conversion’ shall denote the transformation of a drug by a chemical process with the exception of the transformation of alkaloids into their salts.”

5 The convention defines the term reserve stocks as follows: “The term ‘reserve stocks’ in relation to any of the drugs shall denote the stocks required (i) for the normal domestic consumption of the country or territory in which they are maintained, (ii) for conversion in that country or territory, and (iii) for export.”

6 The convention defines the term government stocks as follows: “The term ‘government stocks’ in relation to any of the drugs shall denote stocks kept under government control for the use of the government and to meet exceptional circumstances.”

7 The Statement for 1943 is contained in League of Nations Document C.82.M.82.1942.XI issued under the following title: Convention for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs of July 13, 1931; Estimated World Requirements of Dangerous Drugs in 1943; Statement issued by the Supervisory Body under Article 5.

8 See League of Nations Documents O. C. 1 (1), dated April 3,1923, International Opium Convention signed at The Hague, Jan. 23, 1912, and C.88.M.44.1925.XI, Second Opium Conference, Convention, Protocol, Final Act signed at Geneva on Feb. 19, 1925.

9 Studies and Documents regarding the Working of the System of Import Certificates and Export Authorizations, Document No. C.434.M.225.1935.XI, dated Nov. 2, 1935, and C.268.M.185.1939.XI, dated Sept. 28, 1939, and corrigenda.

10 The Hague Convention of 1912.

11 See League of Nations Document O. C. 1600, dated Jan. 14, 1935.

12 See League of Nations Document C.191.M.136.1937.XI, Convention for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs of July 13, 1931. Historical and Technical study by the Opium Traffic Section of the Secretariat of the League of Nations, Geneva, October, 1937.

13 League of Nations Document C.286.M.174.1936.XI.