The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-05
MANY AFFLICTED
 WITH DRUG HABIT
Physician Urges That Fed eral Government Assume
 Control of Sale

While the opium habit has not been un- common since the days of De Quincy and | Coleridge, says Dr. George w. Goler in the March Case and Comment, the use of morphine. either by the mouth or through the hypodermic syringe, gradu- ally succeeded opium, because it was easier to take and, iwth the aid of the hypodermic syringe, much more rapid in it's effect
 With the growth of luxury and the de- velopment of excesses consequent upon the movement of population from the country to the cities, and the demand for rapid intoxication or excitation, nor phine proved to be a drug too slow in its action, and cocaine rapidly grew in favor with those searching for mental or physi- cal rest or forgetfulness. This drug, either because it is more expensive or for some other reasons, has been replaced by he- roin, a derivitive of morphine, and we now find not only men and women, but the young, even boys and girls, resorting to the intoxication to be rapidly obtained b ythe use of this habit forming drug.
 No exact data exists relating to ths in- creasing use of these recent habit form ing drugs which are of great danger, use by increasing numbers of persons can be shown in the discussion of habit-form- ing drugs which takes place in current journals and among physicians. These drugs find their way into innocent use, sometimes through the physician who prescribes them, and neglects to inform himself and his patient that, not only is he giving the patient habit-forming drugs which are of great danger. especially when giving heroin, which is quite as dangerous as morphine, because it is cheaper, easy to obtain, and quite as easy to use. Like cocaine, it is often taken by snuffing, and in an habitue who takes the drug in this manner an examina- tion of the mucous membrance of the nose will sometimes show characteristic changes from the snuffing of the dry drug that are quite as marked as tho hypodermic needle bricks on the arms de- scribed by Conan Doyle in Sherlock Holmes"
 No adequate law exists in ttjs state prohibiting the sale of heroin. It may be had for a few cents and almost for the asking. It is found in cough mixtures and various other so-called simple reme- dies. and most of all in ca tarrh cures. In this way it's use is often unintentionaly begun. Personal comfort, desire for food, the demands for personal and moral de- cency, are all held in abeyance by the de- sire for satisfying doses of the drug. When it's use is persisted in, as it sone- times is. it leads to the frenzy of desire, the delirium of exhiliration and the mania of despair.
 There is just one thing to do with these habit-forming drugs to prevent their in- creasing use by the people, especially by minors, and that is to take their manu- facture and sale away from both manu- featuring wholesale and retail druggists and put their manufacture and sale into the hands of the federal government and, further. to provide that TO .habit-forming drug shall be sold save on physicians prescription, and to compel every physi- clan to have a special license for their use. this license to be revokable by fed eral authority for cause