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2. International Opium Convention

The Hague, 23 January 1912

Registration: 23 January 1922, No. 2221.
Observation2: This Convention, although not concluded under the auspices of the League of Nations, served as a starting-point for the system devised by the League of Nations and has, in a sense, been incorporated in that system. 
Schedule3 containing the signatures of the Convention, the signatures of the Protocol of Signature of the Powers not represented at the First Opium Conference, provided for in the penultimate paragraph of Article 22 of the Convention, the ratifications of the Convention, and the signatures of the Protocol respecting the putting into force4 of the Convention provided under "B" of the Final Protocol of the Third International Opium Conference. 
[The ratifications and signatures in accordance with Article 295 of the Peace Treaty of Versailles or in accordance with a similar article of other treaties of peace are marked with an asterisk (*).] 
 

 

PARTICIPANTS

Participant  Signatures of the Convention  Signatures of the Protocol of the Powers not represented at the Opium Conference  Ratification of the Convention and accessions  Signatures of the Protocol relative to the bringing into force of the Convention (dates of the entry into force) 
Afghanistan      . May 5, 1944   
Albania    . Feb. 3, 1925  Feb 3, 1925  Feb 3, 1925 
Argentine Republic    Oct 17, 1912  Apr 23, 1946   
Austria      Jul 16, 1920*   Jul 16, 1920* 
Belgium5    Jun 18, 1912  Jun 16, 1914  May 14, 1919 
Belgian Congo and Mandated Territory of Ruanda-Urundi (a)      Jul 29, 1942    
Bolivia    Jun 4, 1913  Jan 10, 1920*  Jan 10, 1920* 
Brazil    Oct 16, 1912  Dec 23, 1914  Jan 10, 1920* 
Bulgaria    Mar 2, 1914  Aug 9, 1920*  Aug 9, 1920* 
Chile    Jul 2, 1913  Jan 16, 1923  May 18, 1923 
China6  Jan 23, 1912    Feb 9, 1914  Feb 11, 1915 
Colombia7    Jan 15, 1913  Jun 26, 1924  Jun 30, 1924 
Costa Rica    Apr 25, 1912  Aug 1, 1924  Jul 29, 1925 
Cuba    May 8, 1913  Mar 8, 1920*  Mar 8, 1920* 
Czechoslovakia8      Jan 10, 1920*  Jan 10, 1920* 
Denmark9    Dec 17, 1912  Jul 10, 1913  Oct 21, 1921 
Dominican Republic    Nov 12, 1912  Jun 7, 1923  Apr 14, 1931 
Ecuador    Jul 2, 1912  Feb 25, 1915  Aug 23, 1923 
Egypt (a)      Jun 5, 1942   
Estonia    Jan 9, 1923  Apr 20, 1923   Jan 21, 1931 
Finland    Apr 24, 1 922  May 16, 1922  Dec 1, 1922 
France10  Jan 23, 1912    Jan 10, 1920*  Jan 10, 1920* 
Germany  Jan 23, 1912    Jan 10, 1920*  Jan 10, 1920* 
Great Britain11  Jan 23, 1912    Jul 15, 1914  Jan 10, 1920* 
Burma12         
Greece      Mar 30, 1920*  Mar 30, 1920* 
Guatemala    Jun 17, 1912  Aug 27, 1913  Jan 10, 1920* 
Haiti    Aug 21, 1912  Jun 30, 1920*  Jun 30, 1920* 
Honduras    Jul 5, 1912  Aug 29, 1913  Apr 3, 1915 
Hungary      Jul 26, 1921*  Jul 26, 1921* 
Iran13  Jan 23, 1912       
Italy  Jan 23, 1912    Jun 28, 1914  Jan 10, 1920* 
Japan  Jan 23, 1912    Jan 10, 1920*  Jan 10, 1920* 
Latvia    Feb 6, 1922  Mar 25, 1924  Jan 18, 1932 
Liberia      Jun 30, 1920*  Jun 30, 1920* 
Liechtenstein14         
Lithuania    Apr 7, 1922     
Luxembourg    Jun 18, 1912  Aug 21, 1922  Aug 21, 1922 
Mexico    May 15, 1912  Apr 2, 1925  May 8, 1925 
Monaco    May 1, 1923  Feb 20, 1925  May 26, 1925 
Netherlands  Jan 23, 1912    Jul 28, 1914  Feb 11, 1915 
Nicaragua    Jul 18, 1913  Nov 10, 1914  Nov 3 1920 
Norway    Sep 2, 1913  Nov 12, 1914  Sep 20, 1915 
Panama    Jun 19, 1912  Nov 25, 1920*  Nov 25, 1920* 
Paraguay (a)    Dec 14, 1912  Mar 17, 1943   
Peru    Jul 24, 1913  Jan 10, 1920*  Jan 10, 1920* 
Poland      Jan 10, 1920*  Jan 10, 1920* 
Portugal   Jan 23, 1912    Dec 15, 1913  . Apr. 8, . 1920* 
Romania    Dec 27, 1913  Sep 14, 1920*  Sep 14, 1920* 
Russia  Jan 23, 1912       
Salvador    Jul 30, 1912  Sep 19, 1922  May 29, 1931 
Saudi Arabia (a)      Feb 19, 1943   
Spain    Oct 23, 1912  Jan 25, 1919  Feb 11, 1921 
Sweden15    Aug 27, 1913  Apr 17, 1914  Jan 13, 1921 
Switzerland16    Dec 29, 1913  Jan 15, 1925  Jan 15, 1925 
Thailand17  Jan 23, 1912    Jul 10, 1913  Jan 10, 1920* 
Turkey  Sep 15, 1933    Sep 15, 1933  Sep 15, 1933 
United States of America  Jan 23, 1912    Dec 15, 1913  Feb 11, 1915 
Uruguay    Mar 9, 1914  Apr 3, 1916  Jan 10, 1920* 
Venezuela    Sep 10, 1912  Oct 28, 1913  Jul 12, 1927 
Yugoslavia      Feb 10, 1920*  Feb 10, 1920* 
         

Actions subsequent to the assumption of depositary functions by the Secretary-General of the United Nations

Participant18,19  Accession (a), Succession (d) 
Bahamas  13 Aug 1975 d 
Cambodia19  3 Oct 1951 d 
Cameroon  20 Nov 1961 d 
Central African Republic  4 Sep 1962 d 
Congo  15 Oct 1962 d 
Côte d'Ivoire  8 Dec 1961 d 
Cyprus  16 May 1963 d 
Czech Republic8  30 Dec 1993 d 
Democratic Republic of the Congo  31 May 1962 d 
Ethiopia  28 Dec 1948 a 
Fiji  1 Nov 1971 d 
Ghana  3 Apr 1958 d 
Indonesia  29 May 1958 a 
Israel  12 May 1952 a 
Jamaica  26 Dec 1963 d 
Jordan  12 May 1958 a 
Lao People's Democratic Republic  7 Oct 1950 d 
Lebanon  24 May 1954 d 
Lesotho  4 Nov 1974 d 
Malawi  22 Jul 1965 d 
Malaysia  21 Aug 1958 d 
Malta  3 Jan 1966 d 
Mauritius  18 Jul 1969 d 
Niger  25 Aug 1961 d 
Nigeria  26 Jun 1961 d 
Papua New Guinea  28 Oct 1980 d 
Philippines  30 Sep 1959 d 
Rwanda  5 May 1964 d 
Senegal  2 May 1963 d 
Sierra Leone  13 Mar 1962 d 
Slovakia8  28 May 1993 d 
Sri Lanka  4 Dec 1957 d 
Syrian Arab Republic  20 Jan 1954 d 
Trinidad and Tobago  11 Apr 1966 d 
Zambia  9 Apr 1973 d 
 

 

NOTES

1. See League of Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 8, p. 187.

2. See note 2 in chapter VI.1.

3. This Schedule which appeared in the Annexes to the Supplementary Report on the Work of the League is reproduced here for purposes of information.

4. The Convention came into force initially on 11 February 1915, in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol respecting the putting into force of the Convention.

5. Subject to adherence or denunciation as regards the Belgian Congo.

6. See note concerning signatures, ratifications, accessions, etc., on behalf of China (note 4 in chapter I.1)

7. Subject to approval of the Colombian Parliament.

8. See note 11 in chapter I.2.

9. The signature of the Protocol of Signature of the Powers not represented at the Conference as well as its ratification were given by Denmark for Iceland and the Danish Antilles: the signature of the Protocol respecting the putting into force of the Convention was given by Denmark and Iceland.

10. With the reservation that a separate and special ratification or denunciation may subsequently be obtained for the French Protectorates. France and Great Britain signed the Convention for the New Hebrides, August 21st, 1924.

11. Subject to the following declaration:

The articles of the present Convention, if ratified by His Britannic Majesty's Government, Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, Hong-Kong, and Wei-Hai-Wei in every respect in the same way as they shall apply to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: but His Britannic Majesty's Government reserve the right of signing or denouncing separately the said Convention in the name of any Dominion, Colony, Dependency, or Protectorate of His Majesty other than those which have been specified.

In virtue of the above-mentioned reservation, Great Britain signed the Convention for the following Dominions, Colonies, Dependencies, and Protectorates: on December 17th, 1912, for Canada, Newfound- land, New Zealand, Brunei, Cyprus, the East Africa Protectorate, Falkland Islands, Malay Protectorates, Gambia, Gibraltar, Gold Coast, Jamaica, Johore, Kedah, Kelantan Perlis, Trengganu, Malta, Northern Nigeria, Northern Borneo, Nyasaland, St. Helena, Sarawak, Seychelles, Somaliland, Southern Nigeria, Trinidad, Uganda; on February 27th, 1913, for the Colony of Fiji; on April 22nd, 1913, for the Colony of Si erra Leone, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate and the Solomon Islands Protectorate; on June 25th, 1913, for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia; on November 14th, 1913, for the Bahama Islands and for the three Colonies of the Windward Islands, that is to say, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent; on January 30th, 1914, for the Leeward Islands; on February 11th, 1914, for British Guiana as well as for British Honduras; on March 28th, 1914, for the Government of the Union of South Africa; on March 28th, 1914, for Zanzibar, Southern and Northern Rhodesia, Basutoland, the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Swaziland;on April 4th, 1914, for the Colony of Barbados; on April 8th, 1914, for Mauritius and its dependencies; on July 11th, 1914, for the Bermuda Islands; on August 21st, 1924, for Palestine and together with France for the New Hebrides; on October 20th, 1914, for Iraq.

12. See note 3 in part II.2 in the League of Nations Treaties.

13. With the reservation of articles 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 (Iran having no treaty with China) and paragraph (a) of article 3.

14. The Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs, by a letter dated October 14th, 1936, transmitted to the Secretariat, at the request of the Swiss Legation at The Hague, the following declaration:

"Under the terms of the arrangements concluded between the Government of the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Swiss Government in 1929 and 1935, in application of the Customs Union Treaty concluded between these two countries on March 29th, 1923, the Swiss legislation on narcotic drugs, including all the measures taken by the Federal authorities to give effect to the different interna tional Conventions on dangerous drugs, will be applicable to the territory of the Principality in the same way as to the territory of the Confederation, as long as the said Treaty remains in force. The Principality of Liechtenstein will accordingly participate, so long as the said Treaty remains in force, in the international Conventions which have been or may hereafter be concluded in the matter of narcotic drugs, it being neither necessary nor advisable for that country to accede to them separately."

15. Subject to the following declaration:

"Opium not being manufactured in Sweden, the Swedish Government will for the moment confine themselves to prohibiting the importation of prepared opium, but they declare at the same time that they are ready to take the measures indicated in Article 8 of the Convention if experience proves their expediency."

16. Subject to ratification and with the declaration that the Swiss Government will be unable to issue the necessary legal enactments within the terms fixed by the Convention.

17. With the reservation of articles 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 (Thailand having no treaty with China).

18. In a notification received on 21 February 1974, the Government of the German Democratic Republic stated that the German Democratic Republic had declared the reapplication of the Convention as from 16 December 1957.

In this connexion, the Secretary-General received on 16 March 1976 the following communication from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany:

With reference to the communication by the German Democratic Republic of 7 February 1974 concerning the application, as from 16 December 1957, of the International Opium Convention of 23 January 1912, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany declares that in the relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic this declaration has no retroactive effect beyond 21 June 1973.

Subsequently, in a communication received on 17 June 1976, the Government of the German Democratic Republic declared:

"The Government of the German Democratic Republic takes the view that in accordance with the applicable rules of international law and the international practice of States the regulations on the reapplication of agreements concluded under international law are an internal affair of the successor State concerned. Accordingly, the German Democratic Republic was entitled to determine the date of reapplication of the International Opium Convention, January 23rd, 1912, to which it established its status as a party by way of succession."

See also note 14 in chapter I.2.

19. By joint notifications received from the Governments of France and Viet-Nam (see note 32 in chapter I.2.) on 11 August 1950; from the Governments of France and Laos (see note 16 in chapter I.2.) on 7 October 1950; and from the Governments of France and Cambodia (see note 6 in chapter I.2.) on 3 October 1951, notice was given of the transfer of functions by the French Government to the Government of the Republic of Viet-Nam, Laos and Cambodia of the duties and obligations arising from the application of the Convention in these countries. It should be noted that the Republic of Viet-Nam succeeded to the Convention on 11 August 1950 (see note 1 in chapter III.6).