The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-30
DRUG STORES NOW
Attorney General Proposes to
Open on Them.
VIII Recommend Radical Chang
eS in the Law.
UNDER HEALTH BOARD
Would Have All Liquor Sold Sub
ject to It's Direction.
Also Provide for a Strict, Spe-
cific Affidavit.

| Attorney General Fred S. jackson,
in his biennial report to the governor
wants the duties of county attorneys,
sheriffs and state officers more clearly
defined and forfeitures of office pro-
vided for violation of the duties i'm
posed upon these officers, but his ref
erence to drug stores, which is the
feature of his report, is as follows:
perhaps the greatest evil of the
entire prohibitory law at present is
the manner in which many drug
stores of the state habitually violate
the law. 1 am convinced that the
present system can not be continued
with any degree of assurance that
many of the druggists holding permits
VIII not violate the law, and that
many others who really wish to OBJ
serve the law will not be able to do so
because of the opportunities of those
who desire to buy intoxicating liquors
for Illegal purposes. The difficulties
come from very many sources, but
PROBABLY in the main from the. fact
that probate judges are not careful in
the granting of permits. Persons who
sign petitions for druggists to have
permits are not careful in recon-
mend1ng to the probate judges the
proper persons to exercise this priv
ilege and more important than any
of these defects of the law, perhaps, is
the one which places it within the
power of the person purchasing to de-
ceive the druggist and to compel him
to sell liquors to be used as bever-
ages
81 recommend a radical change in
the present system of prescribing the
way in which liquor NAV be sold for
medical, scientific and mechanical pur-
poses. First, I believe that the entire
matter should be placed in charge of
the state board of health and permits
should be granted only by a state
board, which should consist of the
secretary of the state board of health,
state director of chemistry and the
president of the state board of phar-
macy. The power of granting permits
by probate Judges should be abolished
The number of permits to be issued in
any one city or county should be
limited according to population. No
permits should be issued in any city,
unless a petition therefor is signed by
at least one-third of all the freehold
ers, male and female, in said city. The
board granting said permits should be
authorized to prescribe reasonable
rules naming the kind of liquors which
may be sold for the excepted purposes
and enumerating the diseases and all
ments for which said liquors may be
sold. No liquors should be sold except
upon the affidavit of the person desir-
ing to purchase the same, showing
that he desires said liquors for one of
the purposes described in the rule pro-
mu1gated by said board. A number
of inspectors sufficient to enable the
secretary of the state board of health
to enforce this and the pure food act
should be provided by law. The pres
ent rules providing the manner in
which a druggist holding a permit
shall carry on his business and pro-
viding for the issuance and filing of
statements and the keeping of records
and reports, should he allowed to
stand, except that the statements and
blanks should be issued by the state
board heretofore suggested, and the
reports should be made to the state
board and not to the probate judge of
the county. I believe a law carefully
framed along these lines will solve the
drug store problem and give US a sys-
tenn for dispensing liquors in a legal
way for medicinal, scientific and me-
chanica1 purposes, which will prove far
superior to the state dispensary sys-
tenn, or our present system.