§ 67. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to ban the manufacture of heroin.
§ 68. Mr. K. Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has now decided to introduce legislation in the current session to legalise the banning of the manufacture of heroin.
§ Major Lloyd-GeorgeThe Government's aim in deciding to ban the manufacture of heroin was to co-operate in a widespread international effort, to which more than fifty countries have subscribed, to help to eliminate the abuse of the drug in various parts of the world. Before reaching the decision the Government had taken the advice of the statutory advisory bodies, namely the standing medical advisory Committees in England and Wales and in Scotland.
The Government have, however, been advised that it is not possible under the present law of this country to prohibit the manufacture of heroin. There is no similar legal abstacle in the way of prohibiting the export and import of heroin, and the Government have accordingly decided to prohibit entirely as from the 1st of this month exports of this drug to countries outside the British Islands, except for such small amounts as may be necessary for scientific purposes only, and all imports. As regards manufacture, the Government have decided to restrict the manufacture of heroin in this country to the quantities actually required for home medical consumption and scientific use.