The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-02-21
STATE BOARD PROBES
SALES OF HERON
PHARMACY Confession tx.
.AMINEs DRUGGISTS.
May Suspend Licenses of New Haven
Men Found G'aiffs-I4avV Restrict
ing Sale rs Now in the Works,

A sequel to the heroin proseou-
tons in New Haven and Bridgeport,
which have nightly stirred up the
druggists of the state, and which Gull
minated yesterday in the filming of sew
eral sellers of the drug in the New
Haven police court, was uncovered
when it became known yesterday that
the state commissioners of pharmacy
have taken the matter up. They are
investigating the sale of the drug
throughout the state, and yesterday
had before them at the Capitol seven
druggists, two of whom were fined in
the New Haven court earlier in the
morning. It is possible that the II
censes of some of the New Haven and
Bridgeport druggists may be suspend
ed, although it was said by Commis-
sioner Curtis P. Gladding that none
of them would be revoked at present
While there is no law regarding the
sale Of heroin, one is in the hands of
the committee on health and safety
of the Legislature.
The section under which the com
missioners undoubtedly acted in con-
Quoting the hearings yesterday was
that which provides that they may ex-
anime into all cases of alleged abuse
fraud and Incompetence. The drug
gists who appeared before the com
mission for hearings yesterday were
examined separately, the hearings
TO after O'Clock in the afternoon
They were George D. FarovId of New
Haven, who was fined $500 and costs
on four counts in the New Haven po-
lice court yesterday morning, Samuel
Smith, S. S. Nelson. Shapiro & Shapi~
70, J. p. Bronson and WI. Buckley,
William P. Honson. F'arovid's clerk
who was fined 500 and costs by the
New Haven police judge, was also cit
ed to appear, but he was not on hand
during the day.
Heroin is morphine compound,
and its sale by druggists to dope
fiends'' in states where there has been
no law restricting it's sale, has caus-
ed a general cleaning up throughout
the country during the past few
months. When persons addicted Ito
the use of cocaine found that they
could not readily obtain that drug be-
cause of the heavy penalties upon the
druggists for selling it, they search
ed for another drug which would pro
duce the same results. The conse-
Quence was that the sales of heroirl
which is the trade name copyrighted
by the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works
for the chemical known as diacetyl-
morphine hydroch1oride, became
greatly. increased.
1t was some time before the abuse
of the drug become generally known,
but, when it's effects Widened so as to
arouse public opinion, many states
passed laws restricting its sale. The
cities of New Haven and Bridgeport,
not content to wait until a state Ia "
could be passed, framed city ordinan-
ces, and in the past few weeks a
crusade against druggists selling he
roin, to persons without prescriptions
or with old prescriptions, was begun,
resulting in several arrests in both
cities, and uncovering a widespread
traffic in the drug.
A canvass of local drug stores and
many talks with the men behind the
various counters, have revealed that
some indignation against the attitude
OF the commissioners in the matter
was felt, it being said that they have
no right to examine druggists regard
ing their saz-ee of heroin, or, indeed,
of any narcotic drug, until a law has
been passed expressly restricting it's
sale.