§ 1305. Immoral articles; importation prohibited

(a) Prohibition of importation

All persons are prohibited from importing into the United States from any foreign country any book, pamphlet, paper, writing, advertisement, circular, print, picture, or drawing containing any matter advocating or urging treason or insurrection against the United States, or forcible resistance to any law of the United States, or containing any threat to take the life of or inflict bodily harm upon any person in the United States, or any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, writing, advertisement, circular, print, picture, drawing, or other representation, figure, or image on or of paper or other material, or any cast, instrument, or other article which is obscene or immoral, or any drug or medicine or any article whatever for causing unlawful abortion, or any lottery ticket, or any printed paper that may be used as a lottery ticket, or any advertisement of any lottery. No such articles whether imported separately or contained in packages with other goods entitled to entry, shall be admitted to entry; and all such articles and, unless it appears to the satisfaction of the appropriate customs officer that the obscene or other prohibited articles contained in the package were inclosed therein without the knowledge or consent of the importer, owner, agent, or consignee, the entire contents of the package in which such articles are contained, shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture as hereinafter provided: Provided, That the drugs hereinbefore mentioned, when imported in bulk and not put up for any of the purposes hereinbefore specified, are excepted from the operation of this subdivision: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Treasury may, in his discretion, admit the so-called classics or books of recognized and established literary or scientific merit, but may, in his discretion, admit such classics or books only when imported for noncommercial purposes: Provided further, That effective January 1, 1993, this section shall not apply to any lottery ticket, printed paper that may be used as a lottery ticket, or advertisement of any lottery, that is printed in Canada for use in connection with a lottery conducted in the United States.

(b) Stay on motion

Upon motion of the United States, a court, for good cause shown, shall stay civil forfeiture proceedings commenced under this section pending the completion of any related criminal matter whether in the same or in a different district.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title III, § 305, 46 Stat. 688; June 25, 1948, ch. 645, § 21, 62 Stat. 862; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, § 1, 62 Stat. 869; Pub. L. 91–271, title III, § 301(a), June 2, 1970, 84 Stat. 287; Pub. L. 91–662, § 1, Jan. 8, 1971, 84 Stat. 1973; Pub. L. 96–417, title VI, § 601(2), Oct. 10, 1980, 94 Stat. 1744; Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1901(a), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1312; Pub. L. 100–449, title II, § 206, Sept. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 1864; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7522(e)[d], Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4500.)

Amendments

Amendment of Section

For termination of amendment by section 501(c) of Pub. L. 100–449, see Effective and Termination Dates of 1988 Amendment note below.

Prior Provisions

Prior Provisions

Provisions in substantially the same language as those in this section were made by act Oct. 3, 1913, ch. 16, § IV, subsections 1, 2, and 3, 38 Stat. 194, superseding similar provisions of previous tariff acts. Those subsections were superseded by act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title III, § 305, 42 Stat. 937, and repealed by section 321 of that act. Section 305 of act Sept. 21, 1922, was superseded by section 305 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.

Amendments

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–449 temporarily inserted proviso at end of first par. directing that, “effective January 1, 1993, this section shall not apply to any lottery ticket, printed paper that may be used as a lottery ticket, or advertisement of any lottery, that is printed in Canada for use in connection with a lottery conducted in the United States”. See Effective and Termination Dates of 1988 Amendment note below.

Pub. L. 100–418, § 1901(a)(1), designated second par. of subsec. (a) as subsec. (b) “Enforcement procedures”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7522(e), added subsec. (b) relating to coordination of forfeiture proceedings with criminal proceedings.

Pub. L. 100–418, § 1901(a)(1), (2), designated second par. of subsec. (a) as subsec. (b) “Enforcement procedures” and amended second sentence generally. Prior to amendment, second sentence read as follows: “Upon the seizure of such book or matter such customs officer shall transmit information thereof to the United States attorney of the district in which is situated the office at which such seizure has taken place, who shall institute proceedings in the district court for the forfeiture, confiscation, and destruction of the book or matter seized.”

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7522(e), added subsec. (c) relating to stay on motion.

Pub. L. 100–418, § 1901(a)(3), added subsec. (c) relating to institution of forfeiture proceedings.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–418 added subsec. (d) relating to stay of forfeiture proceedings.

1980—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–417, in second undesignated par., redesignated the United States Customs Court as the United States Court of International Trade.

1971—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91–662 struck out “for the prevention of conception or” before “for causing unlawful abortion”.

1970—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91–271 substituted references to the appropriate customs officer for references to the collector wherever appearing.

1948—Subsec. (b). Act June 25, 1948, eff. Sept. 1, 1948, repealed subsec. (b) which related to penalties against government officers. See section 552 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.

Change Of Name

Change of Name

Act June 25, 1948, eff. Sept. 1, 1948, substituted “United States attorney” for “district attorney”. See section 541 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, and Historical and Revision Notes thereunder.

Effective Date Of Amendment

Effective and Termination Dates of 1988 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 100–449 effective on date the United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement enters into force (Jan. 1, 1989), and to cease to have effect on date Agreement ceases to be in force, see section 501(a), (c) of Pub. L. 100–449, set out in a note under section 2112 of this title.

Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1901(b), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1312, provided that: “The amendments made by subsection (a) [amending this section] apply with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the 15th day after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 23, 1988].”

Effective Date of 1980 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 96–417 effective Nov. 1, 1980, and applicable with respect to civil actions pending on or commenced on or after such date, see section 701(a) of Pub. L. 96–417, set out as a note under section 251 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

Effective Date of 1971 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 91–662 effective Jan. 9, 1971, see section 7 of Pub. L. 91–662, set out as a note under section 552 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.

Effective Date of 1970 Amendment

For effective date of amendment by Pub. L. 91–271, see section 203 of Pub. L. 91–271, set out as a note under section 1500 of this title.

Transfer Of Functions

Transfer of Functions

For transfer of functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury, including functions of the Secretary of the Treasury relating thereto, to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 203(1), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.

Functions of all other officers of Department of the Treasury and functions of all agencies and employees of such Department transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Treasury, with power vested in him to authorize their performance or performance of any of his functions, by any of such officers, agencies, and employees, by Reorg. Plan No. 26 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 31, 1950, 15 F.R. 4935, 64 Stat. 1280, 1281, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Customs officers, referred to in text, were under Department of the Treasury.

Miscellaneous

Importation of RU–486

Memorandum of President of the United States, Jan. 22, 1993, 58 F.R. 7459, provided:

Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services

In Import Alert 66–47, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) excluded the drug Mifepristine—commonly known as RU–486—from the list of drugs that individuals can import into the United States for their “personal use,” although the drugs have not yet been approved for distribution by the FDA. (See FDA Regulatory Procedures Manual, Chapter 9–71.) Import Alert 66–47 effectively bans the importation into this Nation of a drug that is used in other nations as a nonsurgical means of abortion.

I am informed that in excluding RU–486 from the personal use importation exemption, the FDA appears to have based its decision on factors other than an assessment of the possible health and safety risks of the drug. Accordingly, I hereby direct that you promptly instruct the FDA to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant exclusion of RU–486 from the list of drugs that qualify for the personal use importation exemption. Furthermore, if the FDA concludes that RU–486 meets the criteria for the personal use importation exemption, I direct that you immediately take steps to rescind Import Alert 66–47.

In addition, I direct that you promptly assess initiatives by which the Department of Health and Human Services can promote the testing, licensing, and manufacturing in the United States of RU–486 or other antiprogestins.

You are hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

William J. Clinton.