League of Nations Conflict 18JAN1929
The Fourth 1929 Meeting of the League of Nations Opium Advisory Committee began the afternoon of 18JAN1929 with secret jockeying for places by the European Opium Advisory Committee and the U.S.-organized Central Opium Board. Their combined eloquence failed to convince Japan's representative that the two organizations ought to mingle their powers . Part of the problem was that the U.S.-managed 1925 Geneva Convention, did not focus on opium—the standard addictive narcotic already dealt with in ratified conventions. The American Delegation sought to extend unto Europe and Asia violent repression of derivative narcotics such as morphine, heroin... plus things known to be harmless compared to cigarettes. After all, before the Volstead Act became enforceable , the strongest liquor in America was 43% alcohol. Under Volsteadism, 200-proof ethanol became readily obtainable--to the surprise of dry zealots. Beyond that, the U.S. delegation—packed with many anti-everything Volst...