Narcotics research, rehabilitation, and treatment. Hearings, Ninety ...

354told that much of the insurgency in northern Thailand is motivated byfarmers trying to protect their opium production.That is a very, very confused area of the world. Nobody knows whois fighting whom half of the time and you do not know wliat the allegianceof any particular group is, and even if this is determined it maychange from one year to another. But there is no question in my mindthat there is a clear relationship between opium production and insurgency,be it for whatever purpose, political or economic motives, inthose tribal areas.The proceeds derived from opium sales are used to purchase armsand as I mentioned before, production and transportation is protectedby armed militia, irregular forces, and there is a clear relationshipin my judgment, between the two.Chairman Pepper. Just two other questions, Mr. Ingersoll.Would you favor action by the Congress forbidding the importationof products of the opium poppy even for medicinal purposes intothe United States?Mr. Ingersoll. Mr. Chairman, I pointed out in my prepared statementthat at the present time there are some practical problems withthat, and I would like to give you some statistical data, if I may, tosupport this point. The amount of opium imported since 1966 hasbeen relatively stable. It is in the neighborhood of—it runs between122 to 177 tons each year. In 1970, by includino; some of the opiumpreviously stockpiled in the I'''nited States, some 200 tons of opiumwere placed in the extraction process. From this, almost 23 tons ofmorphine were extracted, and from this almost 22 tons of morphinewere converted to codeine.Codeine is the critical problem, as I mentioned in my statementand as Drs. Brill. Eddv, and Seevers mentioned in their testimonyearlier. Codeine is an inexpensive, highly useful, and widely usedmedicine to treat n vnriety of ailments and I am told that there isnothing better for 'he svmptomatic treatment of flu, for example. Atthe present time there is no substitute thfit combines all of the threeprincipal properties of codeine: until we find that sulistitute or untilwe are able to synthesize codeine itself, then T question whether Avehave any choice but to continue the importation of opium.Chairman Pepper. Would it help you in terms of law enforcementif we did not have to bring in any legitimate products of opium to thiscountry?Mr. Ingersoll. Again. Mr. Chairman, there is verv little, if anydiversion of opium from legitimate U.S. channels. When narcotic?are found in the illicit traffic that come from legitimate sources, thevare usually there because of theft or burglary or something of thisnature, but the industry in this country has done a remarkable andvery commendable job of keeping opium under control and keeping itwithin legal distribution channels. So as far as leakage is concerned,from that source, it is not a problem.Chairman Pepper. On the othei- hand, the fnct that opium ponpiosmay be grown for legit hnato purposes makes it difficult to detect thatpart which is diverted to an illegitimate purpose in the areas where itis grown.