ABSTRACT
The introduction as pharmaceuticals of many of the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances now controlled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961[1] and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971[2] was viewed as a sign of progress in pharmacotherapy, in particular in the treatment of pain and certain types of neuropsychiatric disorders. Narcotic drugs such as cocaine, opium and heroin were appreciated and enthusiastically applied worldwide in medicine until their addictive properties and therapeutic limitations in wide-scale application were recognized. It was soon universally accepted that the health and social risks that such drugs posed to individual consumers and society, associated with their uncontrolled or excessive use and easy availability, largely outweighed the benefits derived from their medical use. Manufacture of and international trading in those drugs became subject to national and international regulation.
