Anti-Heroin Act of 1924 explained

Shorttitle:Anti-Heroin Act of 1924
Longtitle:An Act prohibiting the importation of crude opium for the purpose of manufacturing heroin.
Nickname:Opium Importation Prohibition Act of 1924
Enacted By:68th
Effective Date:June 7, 1924
Title Amended:21 U.S.C.: Food and Drugs
Sections Amended: § 173
Introducedin:House
Introducedby:Stephen G. Porter (R–PA)
Introduceddate:April 17, 1924
Committees:House Ways and Means
Passedbody1:House
Passeddate1:April 21, 1924
Passedvote1:Passed
Passedbody2:Senate
Passeddate2:May 27, 1924
Passedvote2:Passed
Signedpresident:Calvin Coolidge
Signeddate:June 7, 1924

The Anti-Heroin Act of 1924 is a United States federal law prohibiting the importation and possession of opium for the chemical synthesis of an addictive narcotic known as diamorphine or heroin. The Act of Congress amended the Smoking Opium Exclusion Act of 1909 which authorized the importation of the poppy plant for medicinal purposes utilizing an opium pipe or vaporization to consume the euphoric opiate.[1]

The H.R. 7079 legislation was passed by the 68th United States Congressional session and enacted into law by the 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge on June 7, 1924.

Repeal of Anti-Heroin Act

The 1924 United States public law was repealed by the enactment of Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act on October 27, 1970.[2] [3]

World Conference on Narcotic Education

The League of Nations and United States began participating in world narcotic conferences in the early 1900s. In 1924, United States House of Representatives passed a resolution for international conferences better known as The Hague Opium Convention.[4]

In 1926, 69th United States Congress held hearings on a House resolution for the United States participation in the first narcotic education conference to be conducted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July 5 to July 9, 1926.[5]

In the early 1930s, the World Conference on Narcotic Education meetings were held at the Hotel McAlpin in New York City, New York where the 31st President of the United States Herbert Hoover issued public statements stressing narcotic drugs as a "fearful menace" and a "menace to society".[6] [7] [8]

In 1944, the 78th United States Congress passed a joint resolution supporting the purposes of the International Opium Conferences reciprocating an urgency for the limitations on the production of opium to amounts required for strictly medicinal and scientific purposes.[9]

In popular culture

See also: List of drug films. American and international motion pictures were produced promoting awareness about the adverse health effects and social implications of euphoric psychoactive drug use and heroin.

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
Who'll Stop the Rain (1978)
Christiane F. (1981)
Rush (1991)
Gia (1998)
Maria Full of Grace (2004)
American Gangster (2007)
Puncture (2011)

See also

History of United States drug prohibition
Morpheus
Narcotic Drugs Import and Export Act
Narcotic Farms Act of 1929
Needlestick injury
Opium den
Poppy straw
St Mary's Hospital, London
Derivatives of Heroin
China white heroin
Polish heroin
Narcotic Elixirs
Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup
Paregoric
Opium Poppy Cultivation & Production Sectors
Golden Triangle

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Smoking Opium Exclusion Act of 1909 - P.L. 60-221 . 35 Stat. 614 ~ House Bill 27427 . February 9, 1909 . USLaw.Link.
  2. Web site: 389: Remarks on Signing the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 - October 27, 1970 . Nixon . Richard M. . October 27, 1970 . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . 948–949.
  3. Web site: 21 U.S.C. ~ Subchapter II - Import and Export § 952 . Title 21 - Food and Drugs ~ Chapter 13 - Drug Abuse Prevention and Control . U.S. Government Publishing Office.
  4. Web site: Opium and Narcotic Drugs Control Conferences ~ Public Resolution 68-20 . May 15, 1924 . 43 Stat. 119 ~ House Joint Resolution 195 . USLAW.Link.
  5. Web site: Narcotic Education: Proceedings of the First World Conference on Narcotic Education, July 5-9, 1926, Philadelphia . Middlemiss . Herbert Samuel . 1926 . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . H.S. Middlemiss . 2736915.
  6. Web site: Message to the World Conference on Narcotic Education - February 21, 1930 . Hoover . Herbert C. . 1930 . Public Papers of the Presidents, Herbert Hoover 1930 . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . Internet Archive . 63–64.
  7. Web site: Message to the World Conference on Narcotic Education - February 20, 1931 . Hoover . Herbert C. . 1931 . Public Papers of the Presidents, Herbert Hoover 1931 . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . HathiTrust . 91.
  8. Web site: Message to the World Conference on Narcotic Education - February 18, 1932 . Hoover . Herbert C. . 1932 . Public Papers of the Presidents, Herbert Hoover 1932 . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . Internet Archive . 62.
  9. Web site: Opium Production Limitations of 1944 ~ P.L. 78-400 . 78th U.S. Congress . July 1, 1944 . 58 Stat. 674, Chapter 363 ~ H.J. Res. 241 . USLaw.Link.