His Britannic Majesty’s Legation present their compliments to the Swiss Political Department and with reference to the Department’s note No . B. 56/41 K 6 of the 13thof February2, have the honour to address them again with regard to the regulation of the traffic in dangerous drugs.
2. His Britannic Majesty’s Government have received fresh representations from a number of the most important manufacturing chemists in the United Kingdom as to the unsatisfactory position which exists in regard to imports of dangerous drugs, more particularly into Spain and into Australia, though both these countries have themselves accepted the system of importation certificates recommended by the League of Nations. This system, as the Departement are no doubt aware, provides that a country adopting it (a) would only grant a licence for the export of drugs on the production of a certificate from the Government of the importing country and (b) would issue a similar certificate in respect of imports into its own territory. It is clear, however, that if Spain, while issuing such certificates in the case of imports from a country like Great Britain, which has accepted the system recommended by the League, admits imports of the drugs without any restriction whatever from countries which have not yet accepted thad system not only is the control of the traffic rendered ineffective but also considerable damage will be done to the commercial interests of the countries which have accepted the system. The Legation venture to point out that by Article 12 of the International Opium Convention the contracting powers undertake to restrict to authorised persons the imports of drugs and by Article 9 generally to enact the necessary regulations confining the use of drugs to medical and legitimate purposes, that these provisions imply that the import of the drugs shall only be allowed for medical and other legitimate purposes and that it was for the purpose of facilitating the execution of these provisions that the system of importation certificates was recommended by the Opium Advisory Committee of the League.
3. The Swiss Government in their note No . B. 56/40 K 6 of the 24th December 19213 to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations, declared that there were certain constitutional difficulties in the way of the adoption of the International Opium Convention. These objections appear to be of an internal character and can hardly be such as to prevent the proper control of the import and export of dangerous drugs. Although the regulation of the traffic has been hitherto in the hands of the cantonal authorities, it is presumed that the control of the import and export of the drugs is a matter for the Federal and not the cantonal authorities.
4. It is with the control of the international, not the internal, traffic in these drugs that the signatories of the Convention are primarily and most deeply concerned and, whatever technical difficulties there may be in connection with the control of this traffic within Switzerland, it is suggested that there is no reason why the Federal Government, which is a member of the League and which, by the votes of its representatives, approved the recommendations adopted by the Assembly of the League of Nations last September, should not forthwith adopt and enforce the system.
5. His Majesty’s Legation are directed therefore to bring these considerations to the notice of the Federal Government and to urge them to devote their immediate attention to the possibility of introducing the system of importation certificates at the earliest possible moment.4
The Legation take this opportunity to renew to the Departement the assurance of their highest consideration.
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