New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-19
DeIehanty Bears Measure In
dorsed by Health Officials,
Judges and District
Attorneys.
TRIUMPH FOR THE TRIBUNE
Miss Miner Tells of Demoraliz .
ing Drugs Grip on Young
Girls and Praises Hard
Fight to End It's
General Sale.

With the individual approval Of every
doctor and pharmacist who has exam
med its provisions. James A. Dele
hsnty. the Assistant District Attorney
who drafted the Walker bill for re-
stricting the cocaine traffic. will so TO
Albany to-day TO urge favorable re-
port on the bill al a committee hearing.
This bill. which is aimed at the wide
open traffic in cocaine and its deriva-
lives, which was exposed by The Trib-
une last December. will go a long way
toward era6icating the evil by rigid
ngulatiOn and inspection Of the sources
,rom which the deadly drug finds its
way into the hands Of its unfortunate
victims.
After providing for complete s\s-
tenn Of checks upon drug manufactur-
ers. wholesale and retail drug handlers.
doctors. and even HOSPITALS. as 10 their
participation in the legitimate cocaine
traffic, the bill prohibits the possession
Of more than one ounce of cocaine by
a druggist or more than d half ounce
by a physician. except that q regis
tered druggist may have d larger guam
uty Of the drug If all except the Al
lowed ounce is kept under the seals
in which il is purchased from tile
wholesale dealer.
Druggists and pharmacists. both
wholesale and retail. have been unani-
nous. both as individuals and by or
ganizations in their approval of the
BILL" said Mr.. Delehanty yesterday.
so far as | have learned, the only
opposition comes from county medical
societies upstate. The objections from
that quarter are no, based upon the
provision limiting the possession of CO.
calnc by physicians 10 a half ounce.
but solely on the clause providing that
state or local health departments or
police authorities shall have the power
10 examine a doctOrs cocaine records
and his supply on hand.
Law Must include All.
Il have not met any doctor personal
H who voiced these objections. but
have heard that such complaints as
were made against the bill were based
on those grounds would explain to
those physicians oI legislators who hold
that those provisions are too strict.
that We cannot have a law calling for
the rigid inspection of cocaine records
Of doctors or druggists of questionable
honesty without including in the in
spection provision all doctors and drug
gists.
The druggists make no objection TO
that provision. because they realize
that only by such provision can the
state enforce the law against those
who would evade it, and ! hope That
the physicians who base their obJcc-
tons on the inspection clauses will
withdraw their opposition when this is
explained at the hearing tomorrow.
Mr.. Deiehanty added that he had
heard also Of mild objections from
other sources based on the proposition
that the law was not strict enough, and
10 this line of opposition, he said, the
only argument 10 be advanced was that
the bill certainly would be tremen-
dous advance in the warfare on cocaine
traffic. and in view of the medical op-
position 10 the bill it would seem that
an act with still stricter provisions
would have little chance to become iaw'
DR.. r. A. Mct;ure the Tomos physi-
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