The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1910-01-07

Newspaper Law.


Hereafter whenever you go to drug
store to buy bottle of whiskey or
flask of brandy you will be required to
sign declaration that it is for "medlci-
nal purposes
Up to this time the state law TO this
effect has applied only 10 dry counties
But the anti saloon activity has carried
an extension of the law to the wet
counties. So the patron OF the drug
store bottle must go through the same
formality in Detroit that Is necessary to
secure the material for the cup that
cheers in "dry" counties
The reason is that the state pharmacy
board has issued orders to druggists
throughout the state, and hereafter those
who do not live up to the letter of the
law in this respect will be in extreme
danger of having their certificates re-
voked.
The law which requires all druggists,
irrespective of whether the county is
dry or wet" to have purchasers of
liquor sign a slip that the liquor is for
medicinal purposes has been on the
statute books for years, but it has never
been enforced IN wet counties
But the board has put its foot down
aud IN the future all must obey the law.
The big downtown druggists in Detroit,
who have looked on the law Ms a dead
letter for ears, ire now obeying it, hav
ing started this week.
A total of l3 druggists, Vho have been
arrested in various dry" counties for
violation OF the local option laws, ap.
peared before the state pharmacy board
at the hotel Ste Claire Tuesday after
noon The board took their cases under
consideration. Ii is not thought likely
that any certificates will be revoked, but
all were warned that any violations of
the law in the future would lead To
dra tic punishment Detroit Journal.
The above extract contains
about as much misinformation
as could be compressed into the
space occupied.
The law does not now and new
er did require any person who
may purchase liquor at drug
store in wet county "to sign
a declaration that it is for medi-
cinal purposes.
The law does not now and new
er did require any person who
may purchase liquor at drug
store in dry" county "to sign
a declaration that it is for medi-
cinal purposes.
Such law. applicable either
to "wet" or "dry" counties has
not "been on the statute books
for years, is not now and never
was on the statute books of the
state.
No person, in dry" county
can obtain intoxicating liquor
from drug store by signing a
declaration that it is for medici-
nal purposes-unless the drug
gist shall violate the law-and
such declaration would be no
more protection to the party sell
ing such liquor than so much
waste paper.
The state pharmacy board has
no authority to issue any such
order or make any such require
ment, and if the board has un-
dertaken to do so, which is alto
gether unlikely, the action is
ultra Uires.
The law does require that
druggists, both in "wet" coun-
ties as well as in dry" shall
keep record of all sales, giving
date, name of purchaser and pur-
pose to which the liquor is to be
applied as stated by purchaser,
which record shall be open to all
persons for examination during
business hours. Doubtless this
is the law that Detroit druggists
have ignored and looked upon
as a dead letter If the state
pharmacy board has taught that
the law was intended to be obey