CANNABIS CULTURE   January 23, 2012 marks the 100th birthday of the first international drug control treaty, the International Opium Convention, signed at the Hague in 1912.

The treaty called on signatories to prohibit the non-medical sales of opium, morphine, cocaine and to strictly regulate their distribution and production. The Hague convention would lay the foundation for an edifice of further treaties committing the United States and rest of the world to a century of prohibition, drug wars, and concomitant crime and violence.

Dr. Hamilton Wright, the first drug czar of the United States.Dr. Hamilton Wright, the first drug czar of the United States.The driving force behind the treaty was the U.S. government, then as now a worldwide leader in drug prohibition. The U.S. initiative was a product of Progressive Era enthusiasm for government regulation and the rising temperance movement, which would culminate in the disaster of alcohol prohibition. It started when Protestant missionaries in Asia petitioned President Theodore Roosevelt to suppress the opium traffic. The State Department was supportive, seeing this as a useful way of currying favor with China, which was bridling at the unfettered British opium trade from India. Roosevelt agreed, and appointed the brash and energetic Dr. Hamilton Wright (pictured left) to serve as the nation's first drug czar in the State Department. Under Wright's leadership, the U.S. called an international conference in Shanghai, where it prevailed upon the British to join a resolution to suppress the smoking opium trade. A follow-up conference was called in the Hague to pursue a binding international treaty.

The US pursued an aggressive prohibitionist policy at the Hague against the more moderate, cautious views of the British and other nations. The US delegation was led by Wright, a vociferous and overbearing advocate of tough prohibitionist controls. He was joined by the more suave and diplomatic Bishop Charles Henry Brent (pictured right), who had led the crusade against opium smoking in Asia. Brent was disappointed that other nations failed to accept the Bishop Charles Henry BrentBishop Charles Henry Brentthen-novel, American notion that non-medical use of opium was inherently immoral. The third member of the U.S. delegation was Henry J. Finger of the California Board of Pharmacy, who had engineered that state's pioneering anti-drug campaign, outlawing and busting opium dens and dope-dealing pharmacists. Finger advanced the novel proposal that cannabis be included in the treaty, an idea that won Wright's support but failed to evoke interest from other nations at that time.

The Hague Convention, signed by the U.S., China, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Persia, Russia, Siam and the Netherlands, committed its signatories to "use their best endeavours to control, or to cause to be controlled, all persons manufacturing, importing, selling, distributing, and exporting morphine, cocaine, and their respective salts, as well as the buildings in which these persons carry such an industry or trade."

The treaty provided the justification for Congress to pass the first comprehensive federal narcotics control law, the Harrison Act, in 1914. The act set the U.S. on a fateful prohibitionist path of ever-expanding federal laws, controls and regulations aimed at restricting Americans' use and freedom of choice in drugs.

In the meantime, the Hague Convention was followed by a succession of further treaties, eventually culminating in the Single Convention Treaty (1961), the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971), and theConvention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotrop..., which commits the world's nations to criminalize personal possession of cannabis and other illegal drugs.

The baleful consequences of the Hague Treaty and the subsequent world-wide war on drugs remain with us today: prohibition-fueled drug crime and violence, half a million Americans in prison for offenses that were unknown a century ago; murderous drug wars in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Mexico that have left thousands dead, and pervasive denial of personal freedom and civil liberties. Despite this, the rate of drug abuse is no lower than a century ago when drugs were still legal. Judged by the evidence, the time is overdue to end the Hundred Years War on Drugs.

Views: 43

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted a blog post

What Has Tulsi Gabbard Been Up to? Oh, Just catching Obama's ass ordering Intelligence Agencies to Commit Treason!

As we can always expect, the mainstream media will do anything they can to undermine the Trump…See More
21 hours ago
Burbia commented on tjdavis's blog post The Jewish Couple That Taught Bob Dylan Hebrew and Introduced Him to Zionism
"Haaretz put this story behind a pay wall. Sali Ariel and Terry Noble were the names of the couple…"
yesterday
William Heckman is now a member of 12160 Social Network
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on tjdavis's photo
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's video
Thumbnail

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future Forever

"It's a sad day on the highway. But I guess the show must go on. Watch out for the ruination of…"
yesterday
cheeki kea posted a video

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future Forever

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future ForeverWelcome to Ride Radar – Your Frontline Source for Motorcycle Deals, Trends & Market Mayhem.Looking for t...
yesterday
tjdavis posted a photo
yesterday
Burbia posted a status
"Who knew releasing the MLK files and literally deflecting, it ends up implicating himself with the Epstein Files."
Tuesday
Burbia posted a video

Dan Bilzerian DEMOLISHES MAGA Nutjob Patrick Bet-David on His Own Show

Watch as two powerhouse personalities collide in this no-holds-barred debate on one of the world’s most contentious issues. Patrick Bet-David, known for his ...
Monday
Doc Vega's 7 blog posts were featured
Sunday
tjdavis's 2 blog posts were featured
Sunday
Less Prone favorited tjdavis's blog post Track AIPAC
Sunday
FREEDOMROX's blog post was featured

MRNA VACCINES: Question

Hello my fellow sojourners,I know it has been five years since the Plandemic, but one question has…See More
Sunday
Less Prone favorited FREEDOMROX's blog post MRNA VACCINES: Question
Sunday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Saturday
cheeki kea posted a photo
Saturday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Friday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Marjory Taylor Green Proposes Bill Abolishing Geoengineering or Weather Modification
"cheeki kea Marjory is in a daily battle with Democrats on the hill constantly coming up with more…"
Jul 18
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Jul 16
Mr. Sizzle favorited Less Prone's video
Jul 15

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted