The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-16
USE OF OPIUM GROWS
TO ALARMING EXTENT
Message of President Taft Shows That Con
sumption Of Habit Forming Drugs Must
Be Curbed
Especial TO The Timcs-Dispatch.

Especial to The Times Dispatch.l
Washington January l5.-A special
| message which Prcsidcn; Taft sent to
| Congress day or TWO ago regarding
tho use Of habit-form'ng drugs In
the United states showed to what an
alarming extent opium is used here,
and now its consumption is increasing
! year by year
| The enormous misuse az opium and
other habit forming drugs In the
! United States may be attributed to
| several Observation-Disclosures or iEnO-
rance on the part of the people; TO
/ ineffective state laws. as we'll as to the
inability OF States with good laws TO
protect themselves against the candies
tine introduction OF the drugs from
| nciE hboring or distant states. and.
| therefore, in larger sense to the lack
! of control by the Federal government
| of the Importation. manufacture and
interstate traffic in them. And 1t is
| now certain that TO those several
causes may lie attributed the steady
growth of another deadly vice--that Is,
| the cocaine vice-due 10 the unrestrict-
cd importation OF coco leaves and tho
unrcgulated manufacture and distribu
| ton of it's aikaloid, cocaine. sub
stance Of no real use except in tho
hands OF the surgeon.
Startling Fact.
1t is a startling fact that since 1860,
when the various forms of opium and
its alkaloids We're separately enume-
rated in the tariff schedules, there has
been sol per cent. increase in tho
importations and consumption OF all
, forms Of opium as against 1873 per cent.
increase i'll population. This immense
importa ton and use OF opium in the
| United States is the cause for serious
thought and places this country in an
uncnviable position compared with GER
tain European countries. For instance,
1t may be pointed ont that in Germany.
with II population estimated at $4,000
200. there is an annual consumption Of
about 1900 pounds OF opium: in Italy,
with n population OF about $4,000. 900.
there is an annual consumption OF
about 5000 odd pounds of the drug;
and in Austria Hungary. with popu-
lation of iG.000000. there is small
annual consumption of from 3,000 TO
1000 pounds. 1t has been estimated
by the highest medical authorities that
30, 900 pounds OF opium should sutncc
for the medicinal needs OF the Ameri-
can people. yet during the last ten
years there has been an annual i'm
pnrtation and consumption In the con-
tincntal United states OF over 100000
pounds. Fully 80 per cent. Of this
| opium is manufactured into morphine,
and IL Is reliably estimated that at
| least so per cent. Of such III orphinc is
| used by victims OF the habit, to their
, personal dctrimcnt, ana with appalling
effects on general society.
/ Laws Strengthened.
| Since the United states proposed
| the international movement for the
| control of the production and manu-
| facturc of and traffic In habit-forming
drugs every interested country has
! strengthened, or has intimatcd its in
tention to strengthen such national
I laws as arc aimed to restrict and ul-
timately coniinc to proper channels
I! the use of these drugs. While an
important international agreement has
| boen made between the governments
Of Great Britain and China which has
| for It's object the gradual abolition
| of the India China opium trade, tho
! United states has taken hut a single
| step forward. and that is in the pas
sage and approval OF the opium-eN-
| clusion act of February Q, 1909, By
| which tho Importation of opium, ex-
cept for medicinal purposes. is pro.
hibited When this law was enacted
| il wa. recognized on all sides that Il
| was but the first step necessary to be
| taken by the Federal government to
| regulate the Introduction of opium
| into the United States, and It's par
| ticulRr aim and object was to exclude
| from the United States opium that had
| been prepared for smoking purposes
| over 10000 pounds OF which We're
being annually imported with evil
resident in the United states. but to
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