New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-06
COCAINE BILL FAULTY,
PHYSICIANS DECLARE
Measure to Stamp Out Drug
Habit To Be Redrafted
by Doctors.
WILL MAKE LAW PRACTICAL
C. B. Towns Tells Senate Com
mittee He Is Not Seeking
to Save Underworld
Dope Fiends."
lnr relesraph TO The Tribune

Albany Feb. $50 many Criticisms OF
the Bovlan-Kerrigan bin, designed To re-
s,rict The use Of habit forming drugs
cvcr. made to-day ut hearing before
tho Senate Committee on Public Heal IN
thai il was decided TO have the measure
r.drafted. This bill. which is backed ny
charles e Towns. provides for an elao-
or,to system Of Official prescription
blanks. to he issued by the state boa'u
NJ Health TO physicians and returned Dy
druggists. II provides. also Tor cohSu'-
rattan with another physician or Ine
r,,rd az Health whenever physician
t,. b.an prescribing opium, cocaine OF
.,b,r drugs now classed by law rs
..rs;it.forming" for a period OF three
weeks ....
Tho scheme OF official prescription
t,i,rks and tie consultation clause were
attacked to-day by Or. Bush men'Der
or tb. Assembly. Or. McDaniels' another
member. and Dr. Peckham. VINO u
senator. while various letters from
rh,sirians and officials OF medical assoc
cations to Dr. Zcelick. chairman OF the
committee. were rather half-heartad III
their approval 81 the bill.
we physicians are just as anxious TO
do ANYTHING possible To lessen the drug
b,il, ne Mr.. Towns cor anybody else on
Garth said Or. Mechanics. but | per-
sonallv don't think this bill would do II.
II would fall down In actual practice. II
wouldn't accomplish the thing ne
after"
DR.. Bush. chairman OF the legislative
committee Of the state Medical Assocla-
,lop was unspariug In hls criticism OF
the measure.
w. physicians are for anything which
would lessen the drug habit" he said.
But We don't want to put on the statute
hooks any more useless laws. THIS one
would not he enforced. and the physicians
and druggists wouldn't obey 10. ana we
couldn't compel them to. Nobody would
ever see the provisions of tho bill carried
out. II would make the practice oil a
/ physician burdcusomc and onerous' ana
the whole thing is impractical
Mr.. Towns said he was willing TO ac-
cent suggestions from anybody. as all he
wanted was to have a law which would
impress ON physicians their responsibility
Tor drug LdlWiNf tldNA NA'AA'lAH W '''''N'
were made by tho loose use Of the habit
forming drugs 10y physicians. lie said he
didn't care about the underworld "dop,
hends." but did want TO protect the class
i'm society which was worth saving and
merely dlif,ed into the drug habit
/ through ignorance or carelessneSs' not
viciousncss.
/ Senator Boylan Mr.. Kerrigan and eN-
Assemblyman owen Bohan spoke Ions
and ardently for the bill. They made
little Roadway against the physicians
though. Finally II was agreed that Doc
/ tors Bush and McDaniels would take up
the measure with other physicians and
with Or. Porter State Health Commits
sioner. whom, Mr.. Towns said. he had
not consulted about IT, and endeavor to
work out amendments which would make
the measure practical. workable scheme
! They hope 70 have these ready to pre-
sent To the committee In two weeks