Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-21
ARoLlshlNG DRUG PERMITS.

70~.1SuutbV~ ONSN ~
The senate committee on temperance
has reported practically new bill to
take the place of the Macarthur bill
abolishing drug permits for the sale of
Intoxicating liquors. The bill has been
fayorably reported by the committee
and seems likely to pass in some form
or other. The sale and the use of liquor
for medicinal purposes has been prac-
ticed for practically all time since liquor
has been used at all, and it is conceded
that there must be some place in which,
and means by which, liquor can proper
ly be obtained for medicinal, sacra-
mental and scientific purposes.
When the prohibition law was passed
it was thought that by PLACING the sale
of liquor in the hands of druggists,
with an affidavit to. be signed by the
applicant, this difficult problem would
be fairly we'll solved, And when the
law was further amended to require
druggists to obtain large percentage of
the men and women residents of their
wards before druggists permit could
be obtained it was thought further
safeguard had been thrown about the
sale of liquor. But notwithstanding all
Of these precautions, the druggist per-.
NIT has fallen into disrepute through
the laxity of the enforcement of the
letter and spirit of this law, and there
is now disposition to abolish all drug
permits and place the sale of liquor in
the hands of practicing physicians.
55ass The drug business is a respectable and
legitimate business, and the better
class of druggists of the state would be
pleased, no doubt, if the drug permit
were abolished. The effect of the drug
permit law, or rather the violation of
it, has been the building up of a great
number of drug stores, the greater part
of whose revenues has come from the
sale of liquor. This has cut into the
legitimate business of the established
drug store and has brought the whole
business of pharmacy in this state into
at least partial disrepute. A good many
of the better class of druggists have
voluntarily surrendered their permits
The abuse of the law has not been al
together the fault of the druggists. They
have been importuned and besought to
violate the law in the interest of their
Friends and the signing of the drug
gist's affidavit has come to be purely
a perfunctory matter without any of
the qualities of an oath whatever.
The new bill that has been reported
by the senate committee on temperance
does away with all drug permits after
July 1, 1909. The sale of liquor is |
placed with the druggists, but only on
the prescription OF practicing physi-
clan, and the prescription must be filled
on the day the prescription is written or
Upon the following day at the latest. The
physician must keep list Of these pre-
scriptions and of the amount of liquor
dispensed under them, and this list
must be kept open to inspection. The
prescription blanks are issued as the
affdavits used by druggists - by the
county auditors. The form of the pre-
scription to be used is as follows:
State of North Dakota,
SOullly VI
l.. To any druggist of pharmacist:
b /, ...., a regular
> praeticing physician, residing at !
i ............, duly licensed to prac-
= tice medicine under the laws of this !
state, do hereby prescribe for the
use OF. ...... OF ............,
to be used by (him) or (her) as
medicine for ............, and do
further. certify that I have made a
Il personal examination of the person
: herein named; that in my judgment !
Che or (she) Is suffering from
# the aiIment hereinbefore named;
and that ii my Judgment the liquor
herein prescribed IS necessary for
h tie proper treatment Of the ailn1ent
from which (he) o. (she) is suf-
feriug.
u Physician.
Dated Il 4. |. I. this /. 4. day.
100.
Liquor for sacramental purposes my
Be obfained 81 minister ~ priest upon
the fling 81 al application BLINK III