The San Francisco call., 1910-12-18
,STATE TO AID
Fight AGAINST
OPIUM TRAFFIC
Board of Pharmacy Will Detail
Expert Agents to Work in
San Francisco
Prohibitive Price of Drug Will
Force Fiends to Leave
California

All the expert agents working
throughout California under the state
BOARD OF pharmacy in detecting viola
uons Of the drug law win be used in
me campaign begun by District Attor-
"ailes ~ Fickert and Chief Of
once seymour 10 rid San Francisco
on opium smugglers and opfum dens
"t state board Of pharmacy has
1nfoWn its net OF secret agents over
A'' 3 fanclsco several times and in
N"'" campaign has captured many en-
NaEed IN selling the drug. or with il in
t'St possession But the traffic in
l.ie arug has revived gradually after
''F storm Of arrests has passed. and
as lne detective force was sent TO other
ialtS ~ the state has grown to almost
|ia proportions. This time. with
"9 le,iefai government the district at
''iIeA Office. the police and the pbar-
macy board eNerting their fun strength
city
10 widespread has the opium traffic
ana use proved here that the suppress
SION ol The opium Joints is occupying
much OF the time Of the authorities
Mnlie the capture Of the band Of Alas
i4ah sold thieves. which revealed the
appai ing number of drug fiends in the
CITY. rs sinking into second place. The
attorneys for the bullion thieves are
preparing TO make stubborn fight for
their clients freedom. and Ben Bloch
enc Of the counsel for the defense has
declared that he viii make part of his
case an attack on the third degree"
methods Smith declares he was sub
lected to by the federal authorities
Little Tex" J. T. Woodson. big Tex"
George M Woodson and Margaret
degree work so far as known.
HELP or BOARD WANTED
I'd is felt by District Attorney Fickert
and chief Seymour that the beginning
by the state board of pharmacy at this
time of active participation is the most
fortunate turn the antiopium campaign
has taken.
For two reasons the state board Of
pharmacy is valuable coWOrker in this
struggle" 3'ickert said Yesterday. for
one thing because the pharmacy board
agents are given powers under the law
that we can not avail ourselves Of, and
because the corps working for the
board is expert. experienced and able.
The man who handles opium or NOR
phine or cocaine fears the detectives
of The pharmacy board more, perhaps,
than any other agency"
Under the state law, as amended last
year, the sale Of opium is not only a
violation of law. but even the possess
sion Of opium is enough to subject the
offender 10 the fun limit of the punish
ment prescribed Acting under this law
The pharmacy board has secured hun I
drcds OF convictions in every section /
of the state At the meeting of the I
board Friday i'm the Butler building, re- /
ports were received Of more than 200 I
convictions secured recently in counties 1
i'm the southern part Of this state. Tt
s1re
act under this law that District At
torney Fickert is so confident that the
campaign against opium dens will b'
carried TO a successful end here during
the next few months.
we have been getting Information
for the last two months concerning the
opium traffic in san Francisco" Flick
crt said yesterday, and the work viii
20 on. What we are making every
effort to do is to locate the source of
The opium supply.
g. B. Whilden. 2 member of the
state pharmacy board. explained yes
terday the anti-drug campaign carried
on by that organization
NET DRAWN TIGHTER
since 1905, when the state law un-
der which we operate was passed. we
have been carrying on a warfare
against the sale of drugs in Califor-
MIA" Whilden stated. In 1907, and
again IN 1903. the law was so amended
that the net was drawn more and more
tightly around those who traffic in
opium and allied drugs. At the next
session of the legislature we will
present bill that viii make it very
difficult for the traffic to continue
longer in California. This state al
ready according to Dr. Hamilton
Wright and President Taft. has the
best laws against these drugs of any
state in the union. This board has de-
Veloped also what we consider the best
force of agents in the world for the de-
lection of Violators Of the law. We
shan be very glad TO work with Mr.
I7ickcrt in this city. and aid him in
every way possible. In past campaigns
Air. Fickert has been quick to aid as"
Following the trail from drugstores
and houses where the pharmacy board
agents discover opium is sold it is
hoped TO track back TO the sources
through which the drug enters the
country. Al least the price Of the drug
viii soar SO high. owing 10 the all but
impOssibility of securing it, that those
addicted TO the habit viii be compelled
to leave the state in order TO satisfy
their craving. II is estimated that
California already has freed itself of
thousands Of dope fiends" through the
effect the activity Of the state board
of pharmacy has had on the price Of
opium.
The members Of the state pharmacy
board are: ii. o. Buker. Fresno, presi-
dent: j.. =. of. Pasadena; H. J. Finger
santa Barbara; J. o. McKown Liver
more. G. NJ Sutherland. Alameda; 4. J.
sAIolony. san Francisco, and c. b. Will
den. San Francisco. Louis Zeh is sec
rotary Of the board
According TO the statement Of Ben
Bloch who is. with Nate COghlan, at
torney for the bullion thieves. Elmer L.
smith was kept for 80 successive hours
sitting ia a chair in the United States
rnarshars Office while the federal au-
thorities tried to make him confess the
robbery. Bloch said his client during
the 80 hours had nothing 10 eat or
drink
CONTEMPT OF COURT
CASES ARE APPEALED