New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-02
Drug Fiends Hard Put to 1t
for Daily Supply of Poison

declarations OF war in Europe, smoking opium
sold in New York for from Sc TO $40 tin OF
six ounces. toy of hop" (the trade name
tor the shell OF the lichee nut v hich is used as
measure for small quantities of opium) was
readily purchassble for 81, and when filled with
an inferior grade of opium could be bought
for so cents. To-day a six ounce tin OF
opium costs a hop hend' from s35 TO
SIS. The writer knows OF one transaction
made recently in which 300 six ounce tins of
Lai Yuen, the finest smoking opium obtain
able, sold for $4,000 cash, and the purchaser
admitted that in retailing the drug to opium
smokers he expected to realize a profit OF at
lease $4,000. A toy" of this Lai Yuen will
cost an opium smoker Sc.
Cocaine ranks close to smoking opium a
luxury, If price alone is to be considered. Be-
fore hard times hit the drug trade cocaine could
be purchased for SO an ounce, sometimes less.
deck" Of cocaine (the package in which drug
users bought their small supplies) used to sell
for % cents. To-day cocaine is being sold by drug
pedlers at s22 an ounce, while a deck" contain
ing far less of the drug than the old package
did, sells at $3.50 TO So. Smaller packets may be
purchased for 80 cents or 81, but these contain
only sufficient amounts for two doses for
the real coke fend," and at that the drug Is
highly sdulterated.
THE MORPHINE HABIT MAY BE RANKED
AMONG LUXURIEs.
When II is remembered that the morphine user
will take from one-half to three grains at a dose
depending upon whether the possessor of the
habit is "jabber" "eater"-and that he
l. ~. Iotx
even the outsider will realize that morphine
habit is expensive when the drug sells at IS for
twenty-five grains That is It's price to-day. Be-
fore the Boylan law went into operation 100
grains of morphine could be purchased for 81
or $3.50. In the "old days" bottle containing
1000 grains of morphine could be purchased for
$40 To-day it is next to impossible for the NOR
phine iend to obtain the drug in such quantity
Before the war heroin was not so cheap, COM
paratively, for most Of that drug-t is obtained
by the acetylization Of morphine-was imported
from Germany. Little, none at sll, was manu-
featured here Last June heroin readily pur
chasable in New York at 81 to $3.50 for 100 tab
let's To-day 100 heron tablets cannot be bought
for less than S..
From the prices quoted above-they are au-
thentic: they were furnished by q who is
to-day we'll on the way to fortune from the
Illicit sale of the four drugs--t be readily
deduced that there has come great increase IN
the sufferings of this class Of men and women.
Added to the prices that must be paid there is
also the fact that unless person Is I'm" with
drug pedler the drugs are not obtanable at any
price There are too many plain clothes men
and social investigators abroad TO permit the
promiscuous distribution Of dope.
A PERSON IN LIVERPOOL WHO BEGINS TO
LOOK INTERESTING.
The methods which have been devised by the
cunning pedlers, aided no doubt by the drug
induced cunning Of the dope fend's brain, for
getting their supplies from outside the city are
numerous and deserve mention for their very
craftiness. but for true cunning In the evasion
Of the law the methods used to effect the trans
fer of the drugs from the pedler to the user
stand alone.
To get the drugs into the city the pedler en-
ploys one or more agents, men or women who do
not use drugs themselves, but who, for the sake
of dollars, will not balk at any trade
Within the last few weeks number Of arrests
have been made here in connection with the SNUG
cling of drugs into this country which are for
hidden in this state under the Boylan law. With
those arrests the Federal agents and the local
police struck at the heart of one source OF the
New York drug pedlers' supply. In Liverpool,
England in an Office in reputable business block
not far from the waterfront there can be found
during business hours a we'll dressed, prosperous
looking and somewhat portly citizen of the United
States with an Hebraic cast of countenance. You
can walk into this mans Office and place an order