Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-06
DRUGGISTS DIFFER
The Sale Of Poison is Regarded in
Various Ways.
MAJORITY FAVOR SFRICFER LAWS
IntevieusWith Some of the Prom
inent Local Pharmacists.
AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION

| AN. INTERESTING DISCUSSION
A number of druggists were called ON to-
day by The Star reporter and their views
| solicited upon the necessity of the adop-
| ton of some law which will more cffec-
| tually prevent the indiscriminate sale of
poison by pharmacists In the District than
| the law now in force. The consensus of
| the opinions expressed was to the effect
| that more stringent regulations should be
provided, as will be shown by the quoted
views of well-known druggists, which
| follow:
Mr.. W. s. Thompson of 18th street, how
ever, who has given the subject much
thought believed that there were many
difficulties in the way of preparing u law
which would meet all the requirements.
THE entire subject should be carefully
examined" said Mr.. Thompson, land law
prepared. If possible, that will preserve the
! rights of the public and not embarrass
reputable pharmacists in their relations
| with the public There is a vast amount of
| poison of various sorts used in Washing
| ton every year in q legitimate way, and
probably three or four instances in which
| 1t is used illegitimately. Hotels, for in
pounds of cyanide of potassium at one time
| for cleaning purposes That is enough to
| kill everybody in Washington, almost. Pho
tographers use the same deadly drug In
large quantities in their art. Pure carbolic
! acid is deadly poison, yet 1t is used in
great quantities. general law of pre-
ventive sort might work to the dtsadvan-
| tage of great number of people. so say
| that any law on the subject should be
drawn with the greatest skill possible
DIR. J. NJ. Winter, one of the commission
| ers of pharmacy, who was present, agreed
with Mr.. Thompson.
New York avenue, also commissioner OF
| pharmacy, said that bill had been pre-
pared by the Local Druggists Society and
| presented to Congress. and the physicians
| of the city had prepared another on the
| subject of the sale of. poisons. The two
| bills did not agree.
II think the present law can be very
| much improved, and that it should be.
| trust the present agitation may lead to
such a result, but the law must be drawn
| with great care, In order to preserve the
rights of the public and of those who dis
pense drugs Of a deadly character"
Safeguards Badly Needed.
Other interviews were as follows:
| Charles ]. Gillette, the Shoreham drug
! store, 18th and H streets northwest-"Any
law that will prevent the promiscuous sale
| of poison would be a welcome one to every
| body, but especially to the druggists them
selves. The present law is entirely lacking
| In providing proper safeguards. The law
| which governs the sale of whisky by drug
| glsts and which compels the presentation
! of u physicians prescription and forbds
the refilling Of such a prescription unless
| ordered by the doctor and which provides a
! penalty of 800 for failure to observe its
| declarations wop4t1e-a good law to use
| as d basis upon which to draw up an eff
caciouS poison law.
| E. +. MertZ, 18th and F streets northwest
There should be law as stringent as
| possible to make the sale of poisons, in
| which l include morphine, opium and its
! products, cocaine and the like, well guard
! ed. Its indiscriminate purchase and the
| mere entering of the name of the purchaser
| and the character of the purchase in a
| book such as the present law permits
| makes it entirely too easy for persons to Sc
| cure poisons. I do not believe they should
| scriptions and the prescriptions should not
| be renewed except on the written order OF
the doctor giving it originally"
An Adequate Law Demanded.
Charles A. Prentiss, 9th street and New
York avenue-"An adequate law to govern
| the sale of poisons in the District is urgent
| ly needed
A. F. Hendershott. 18th and streets
northwest-"A good law which would serve
to protect the dispensation of poisons would
| be an admirable thing for the public and
| the druggists alike
Henry Evans 1913 F street northwest-"I
| have always regarded the pharmacy law in
its relation to the sale of posons as being
lamentably weak. There should be n new
law passed that will make the indiscrim-
mate sale of poison, which is now virtually
permitted, Impossible. No poison should
be sold in my opinion except on the order
OF physician or after the closest investi-
CATION on the part of a druggist into the
character of the person wanting it, The
great trouble Is that the present law allows
druggists to sell poison to purchasers whom
they do not know. I'm in favor of & new
and stringent law"
Herbert n. Beall, Connecticut avenue and
z street northwest-"A law that will pre-
vent the indiscriminate sale Of poison in
Washington would be ore Of the best meas
ures Congress could pass
Another View of the Subject.
Several pharmacists were seen who de-
cnhed to be quoted for publication. Their
opinions were voiced by a well-known drug
lied:
Il do not think 1t is the province of news
papers or coroner's juries to go into the
subject of the sale of poison. The drug
gists are intelligent men. and can manage
the dtspensation of deadly drugs without
any radical danger to the community Mt
large. Any blue laws on the sui ject would
work injury to the great ma jority of people
VINO use poisons legitimately. Suicides
from poison are unfortunate, but so are
suicides by drowning, shooting stabbing
and hanging. Poisons are necessity, and
when discretion and intelligence govern
their sale, as Is the case almost universally
in Washington and elsewhere, there is no
necessity for rigorous laws of preventive
character being adopted. 1t is a very i'm
portant subject and should not be sp-
preached from the standpoint of sentiment
where there Is so much Of the practical at