They, unfortunately, do not seem to realize the astronomical tolerance which an addict, in general, develops, so that while he would accept all the cheap narcotics available, he would still go to the peddler for his overage. This approach was tried in the early twenties in some large cities in the United States and was a dismal failure, as crime did indeed increase and addiction also increased. One must start off with the assumption that narcotic addiction is either desirable or undesirable, and if it is indeed undesirable then the approach should be to eliminate it rather than perpetuate it. The addicted person should be regarded as a sick person, but should be quarantined in a narcotic-free environment to determine whether or not he can be given motivation to eliminate his addiction, or, if addiction is merely an incident in a life of nonconformity, then it must be assumed that he is expendable and should be kept out of circulation. As law enforcement agencies will well state, they do not argue the merits of either approach but the more addicts there are out of circulation, the less crime there is in the community.
Much misinformation exists as to the myth of the problems of the addict.
Withdrawal symptoms, while severe, only last three or four days, as evidenced by many conservations with physician addicts. The revocation, however, is suspended on certain probationary terms - namely, that for a period of five years he will not have narcotics in his possession or prescribe them to his patients. The doctor is informed, however, that if narcotics are found in his possession at any time, the revocation of suspension is lifted and he loses his licence outright. This is a fine combination of fear of punishment and hope of reward. The sponsor usually contacts the hospital staff of the one-time addicted physician and points out that he should be encouraged to feel he is a member of the team again, and should be given hospital privileges even if under supervision.