The Washington times., 1901-12-29
Amendment Proposed to
Present Laws.
DRUGS NOW OBTAINED TOO EASILY.
Regis ration of Poison Purchases
DR.. Woodward Considers Net
Sufficient to Prevent Habitu
Users of Morchin and Cocaine
From Sating Their Appetites.

and drugs which has been framed by Dr
w. c. Woodward. Health Officer OF tht
District, and which will be sent TO Con
gress for enactment at the recommends.
tion OF the Commissioners
The measure is prompted by desire
TO suppress the sale of narcotics to those
who use them habitually as stimulant
The proposed regulation, however, differs
little from the law now in force save that
there is some slight variance in the reg
istrati,n OF sales Of poison by pharma-
cists. \ nunber of druggists have ex-
pressed the opinion that If there is to be
any change in the laws 1t should be more
far-reaching than the one proposed by DR.
/ Woodward.
Habits Likely 30 Spread.
One reason Tor the spread of the opium
and cocaine habit, druggists say, is the
opportunity which one has to get a
prescription filed which calls for medicine
/ with opium as one of the ingredients. a.
many times as they desire. although the
/ physician who wrote the prescription in
tended that it should be filled but once
/ The druggists say that they have no right
to refuse to refill such prescriptions. even
/ il they cali for uuadulteratcd narcotics.
! Some OF The local pharmacists think
/ that the habit might be abated Il physi-
. clans were required to give the directions
so that the prescription could not be re-
filled if it contained narcotics which
would be harmful under ordinary circum-
stances. Objection is made TO this be-
cause patients would then be obliged to
r u EfFfr n -n0 fra~r HTrrfa
prescriptions were refl!cd- Other drug
gists. and physicians as we'll. express the
opinion that the general Indulgence in
narcotics is ere which cannot be stamped
out entirely. and that the existing law is
about as eficieni as can be had.
T. f. Ogram. one Of the most prominent
druggists in Washington. does not put
much faith in the proposed regulation.
Rights 20 Prescriptions.
THE first phase to be considered in
ihis connection" said Dr. Ogram. "is to
establish the ownership OF the prescrip-
tion. Does it belong to the physician.
to the patient. or to the druggist? The
great harm in the use OF narcotics is
often started By ph, sicians' prescrip-
tiCns. 1t is necessary to use opium or
cocaine sometimes to relieve certain
paina The patient has the prescription
filled, keeps the prescription himself, has
II rchlIed. and thus becomes addicted to
the use OF q drug which the physician
intended he should use only at the time
it was prescribed. The druggist cannot
refuse TO reiil the prescription.
The physician may write across the
prescription not to be refilled. but the
patient can even then retain the pre-
scription after it is filled. for instance In
this store. when there is nothing to pre-
vent his taking 1t the next day 10 an
other store and getting it filled there
and then to another store. and so on
Under the present law We register all the
poisons and nar' otics we sell. We wont
sell any dangerous ones without pre-
scription. As far as selling poison 20
anyone contemplating suicide is con-
cerned. it can't be helped. They will get
il somewhere anyhow, and our registra-
tion system only helps identify the person
who has sought death.
UsunII. Buy Mt whofcSaIc.
"Habitual users OF narcotics do not
generally patronize retailer to get
their opium or cocaine They &c TO a
wholesale house, where they can pur-
chase it in an original package without
restriction. Another thing which the
Health Department should look after If
a new law is to be enacted, is a number
Of so-called proprietary medicines which
contain large proportion Of opium or
other dangerous ingredients.
This little bottle here" said Mr.
Ogram as he reached for small vial
labeled "Cata-rh Cure, contains enough
opium TO XIII you ana me II We took IL
internally. There is nothing TO prevent
a druggist selling this without a pre-
scription. nor this either" and he picked
up a much smaller bottle of fluid which
was labeled Elixir Of Opium" There
is enough opium in this vial TO kill US
all three and Mr.. Ogram included 4
clerk standing near in his imaginary 1
death list.
Comsncnds the New Law.
i think that's a pretty good idea" said |
DR.. II. 4. Yates. manager OF the Modern |
Drug Company, as he finished looking oveT
a copy Of the regulation proposed by Dr.
Woodward. 1T IS difficult to check the |
sale OF harmful drugs. We. Of course. |
never make sales to persons Of whom We
are suspicious. and We always keep very |
careful account Of what narcotics and
for what purpose.
"As to the possession of the prescrip-
tion ] think that the druggist should re-
tain it always II the patient raises The
question be should bc given "A copy. To
put non-rohlling note on the p-Cscrip- |
ton would rebound only 10 the benefit OF
the physician. for then the patient would
be obliged to give the physician fee
even 10 give him merely an ordcs FOR thc
same medicine again.
Acceptable Only in Part.
Manager Boyd. of The TsshinaIy Drag
Company. said that within the last year
The praotic OF selling poisous and Har-
cotics at wholesale houses had greatly
Mr. Boyd. however. was Dr.
In ull sympathy with some Of The eaauf,
Df the evisting Law, suggested by Df.
Woodward. Aoonite, for instance. is
placed in what is known as schedule 49,
and can only under certain conditions
be sold upon a physicians prescription.
Ac0nite is frequently used as medicine for
horses and certain ailments where a
argc dose is necessary.
Under The new Law il will be required
hat tba horse owner get a physician S
prescription boicre he can purchase &c
,n!te. even though he knows in Just whal
proportion to administer the drug.
One change suggested by br Woodward
which meets Win almost general approval
Is Tie transfer Of chlorOfOrm and chloral
hydrate 10 n class ohiainablc only 'hroush
prescription. At grcssDt thcy can Ds
purchased without prescription and with
1ut being registered Ills too, despite Il
act that both arc deadly poisons and ford
rather q less lainigl death than other
irugs.
Dr. Woodward ts turned the draft OF
he nrnuns,d r..illnilnn nYer To A II |