New-York tribune., 1901-02-17
THE LAW BOUT DRUGS.
HOW THE NEW ENACTMENT FOR UNI
FORM REGULATIONS THROUGHOUT
NEw-YoRK STATE Is OPERATING.

for noSing about in all sorts OF places started
the older members of the family at dinner re
Gently by announcing that anybody can buy
almost any poison now without having to sign
a book or answer any questions Asked the
source Of his surprising information. he said the
druggist on the corner had told him that under
the new law it was no longer necessary for an
apothecary to keep poison book" And the
boy vouchsafed the opinion that the new law
was not an Improvement upon the old one
Inquiry Of the proper authorities ELECTED rhe
information that the boy or. the druggist the
corner was mistaken. There is a new law reEu-
lating the practice Of pharmacy, as the druggists
themselves name their calling, iu New-York
State, which became operative on January l.
But lis provisions concerning tn sale Of poi
sons at retail ar more stringent probably
than those Of any pharmacy law her, tofore in
effect These provisions We're drawn UP with
great care 10y certain Acknowledged and we'll
known pharma, -utical leaders and they arr per
feCtly plain and precise IN their meaning. For
the purpose Of sl;e-uarI.ng the public and max
Ing the duties of the druEEist clearly IntelgibI-
ali the poiSunS likely t. b, handled IN th~ apotk-
e,drys shop named and arranged in TWO
groups or schedules The law then says that
none Of these substances. "or any drug ch. m
ical or preparation which. accorG.u.. 20 standari
works medicine or inator.a m.dica. Is IabI-
to be- destructive to adult human life IN quaint
tl-s If sixty grains or less" shall br sold at re-
tal or furnished without being laa-ll.d with the
name of The article. The word o. .sou." and th,
name and place of business oC tho seller plainly
printed i'm rtd ink .: the sale, OF In. NOR, dan
gercus poisous record must h- Kept This
record mus; contain th. date .f sale th, nam,
and address 81 the buyer n, name AMI guam
uty OF the poison. the purpose for which u is
represented 10y the purchaser Q, b,. required and
the name OF the dispenser. The poison rr..istrr
or book in which this record kept must be
always open for inspection 10y the proper au-
thortIes. and must be- kept for at least five
years after the last entry. The puisons which
must b- - registered. besides being properly
labelled. when sold grouped under - hedule
A" The list Is az follows;
PoISONS THAT MUST BE REGIsTERED
Arsenic cyanide OF potassium, hydrocyanic
acid, cocaine, morphine strychnia and all other
poisonous vegetable alkaloids and their salts
oil bitter almonds containin- hydrocyanic
acid; opium and its preparations. except pare
goric and such others contain less than two
grains OF opium TO the ounce
II may be from this that the sale of
poisons at retail in this State is pretty thor
cughly guarded-if the druggist obeys the Law.
And the law eompels obedience \ druggist who
violates these provisions is speedily brought to
book and severely punished. AS pharmacist
of years and experience said recently, good
many silly jokes cracked at the expense of
the druggist. hut there is almost profession
carefully regulated than pharmacy, and
none in which incompetent person finds il
harder to make u living
The regulation OF the practice OF pharmacy
that Is, practically the enforcement OF the phar-
macy LAWS in the hands of "A Board of Phar-
macy which is accountable to the Governor.
But the Governor has voice in the selection
of the members OF the Board The profession
has politics of its Own-and a lively politics it
is-but that does not come within the scope of
this article
The first point in which the new act differs
from the old laws is that it is IA general law
covering all the counties in the State. Ii creates
a new Board Of Pharmacy To have jurisdiction
the drug stores of the entire State, in place
of the three sectional boards of pharmacy which
existed up to January |. This law is technically
known Chapter G67 of the Laws of 1900"
IL divides the State into three sections for the
purposes of this act'-the eastern containing the
counties OF New-York- Kings Queens Nassau,
Suffolk. Richmond and Westchester; the vest
ern, containing Erie Niagara, Orleans, Genesee
Wyoming, Allesany, Cattaraugus and Chautau-