68 
Anti-N arcotic  Legislation. 
{  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
I    February,  1911. 
a  Special  schedule  on  opium  used  for  smoking  was  placed  in  the 
Tariff  Act  of  July  14,  1862,  and  put  on  it  a  tax  of  80  per  cent,  ad 
valorem. 
It  was  considered  at  that  time  by  those  interested  in  discouraging 
the  smoking  of  opium,  realizing  what  a  deleterious  effect  it  would 
have  on  those  addicted  to  its  use,  that  a  large  duty  was  advisable, 
believing  that  it  would  prevent  its  importation ;  but  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  the  use  of  the  drug  was  becoming  prevalent  and  that 
the  quantities  brought  into  this  country  did  not-  diminish,  but  in- 
creased;  this  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  being  smuggled  into  this 
country  in  very  large  quantities. 
In  the  Tariff  Act  of  June  30,  1864,  in  a  special  schedule,  on  opium 
used  for  smoking  a  duty  of  100  per  cent,  ad  valorem  was  placed;  but 
this  cUd  not  have  the  desired  effect  of  preventing  the  importation  of 
opium.  The  Tariff  Act  of  July  14,  1870,  placed  a  rate  of  $6.00  a 
pound  on  opium  used  for  smoking,  and  the  Tariff  Act  of  March  3, 
1883,  again  increased  it  to  $10.00  a  pound.  On  October  i,  1890. 
the  Tariff  Bill  made  a  further  increase  to  $12.00  a  pound.  It 
seemed,  however,  that  the  more  duty  was  placed  on  opium,  the 
smaller  were  the  Custom  returns  and  a  larger  amount  of  opium 
smuggled  into  the  country ;  so  that  the  tax  on  opium  failed  to  have 
any  effect  in  diminishing  its  general  use,  and  the  Dingley  Tariff 
Bill  of  July  24,  I897,  reduced  the  duty  to  $6.00  a  pound.  The  next 
general  legislation  on  the  subject  of  opium  was  the  National  Food 
and  Drugs  Act  of  June  30,  1906,  which  made  it  mandatory  for 
every  one  to  declare  the  presence  and  quantity  of  opium  contained 
in  any  article,  either  used  as  a  medicine  or  used  for  food,  or  which 
contained  any  of  the  derivatives  of  opium.  On  February  9,  1909, 
Congress  passed  an  Act  absolutely  forbidding  the  importation  of 
smoking  opium  and  making  the  possession  of  it  a  crime  punishable 
by  imprisonment.  The  wisdom  of  this  legislation  will  become 
apparent  as  we  review  the  general  subject  further  on,  because  the 
members  of  Congress  at  last  realized  that  smoking  opium  and  the 
derivatives  of  opium  are  the  worst  menace  to  the  human  race  that 
could  possibly  be  imagined.  The  Tariff  Act  of  1909  put  a  duty  on 
crude  or  medicinal  opium  containing  9  per  cent,  or  over  of  morphine 
of  $1.50  a  pound,  and  under  9  per  cent.  $6.00  a  pound.  From  i860 
to  1890  the  tariff  on  morphine  varied  from  $i.oo-to  $2.50  per  ounce, 
and  from  1891  to  1897  the  duty  on  morphine  was  50  cents  an  ounce ; 
but,  after  1897,  it  became  $1.00  an  ounce  and  in  1909  it  became  $1.50 
