As toxicomanias no apos-guerra

Abstract

It is common knowledge that during and shortly after wars there is a tendency towards greater use of narcotics. This was first noticed after the Civil War in the United States when drug addition became so widespread that it was called "army disease." After the wars of the Crimea, the Franco-Prussian and the world war, drug addiction increased. The use of morphine, heroin and cocaine has become more common throughout Europe, the United States, in Central and South America and Brazil was not exception in this respect. Brazil was faced with a serious social problem involving a spread of addiction to remote corners of the country. For forty years much has been done in the United States towards stopping the traffic or narcotics and since 1918 the use of such drugs has been combatted by united action of all the countries of the world. During the last war 2,650 tons of opium was produced annually, while the medical needs of this drug did not go over 440 tons per year. Known production is as follows: Iran, 660 tons; India 258; occupied China, 1,100; Burma, 20; Chosen, 38; Japan, 18; and Thailand, 1/2 ton. During the last war in Central Europe about 7 tons of morphine (equivalent to about 60 tons of opium) was manufactured from poppy stalks. England and Holand have stated that as soon as atheir mandates in the Far East are freed of all Japanese, the smoking of opium will be prohibited, and it is to ...(AU)