Narcotic Drugs Import and Export Act

The Jones-Miller Act of 1922 was primarily concerned with banning the recreational consumption of opium and to control the quality of medical opiates

The Narcotic Drugs Import and Export Act was a 1922^[1] act of the 67th United States Congress. Sponsored by Sen. Wesley L. Jones (R) of Washington and Rep. John F. Miller (R) of Washington. It is also often referred to as the Jones-Miller Act.^[2]

Federal Narcotics Control Board

The Act also led to the establishing of the Federal Narcotics Control Board (FNCB) to tightly oversee the import and export primarily of opiates, but also other psychoactive drugs like coca. The control board were created to better control what America was exporting from its territories to others as well as what was being brought in, to ban all recreational consumption and to control the quality of what was being used for medical purposes.^[3]

Long Time Coming

A boat of Chinese immigrants being searched for opium in San Francisco 1876

The newly brought in act was but another in a long line from 1848 that set out to curtail the use of drugs for recreational purposes, most of which started from San Francisco area with the attempt to curtail opium smoking, first by banning the smoking in public, exempting opium dens,^[4] until finally going for an all out ban, nationwide in 1922. Before the Jones-Miller Act laws were passed on a state by state basis.

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