The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-12
STATE BOARD MAY
CONSIDER new LAW
MORE STRINGENT REGULATION
OF SALE OF HABIT-FORMING
DRUG SOUGHT.

More stringent laws against the
Illicit dispensing of habit forming
drugs will be advocated by State
Board of Pharmacy when 1t meets
here on January 10, is the general be-
lief
The traffic In cocaine. heroin and
opium has reached an extent hitherto
users OF these drugs. according to I'M
impeached testimony. have had no
difficulty in providing themselves with
liberal supplies at pleasure.
Ii is stated that the board will be
asked to give Its endorsement TO a
Jaw that will so increase the risks of
Illicit trafic that there Will be few
who will care to take the risks in
VOWED.
II is understood that the principle
OF the law is that every grain of CO.
caine, nerotn and opium brought by
anyone In Virginia mus. be scrupul-
ously accounted for &c tbs authorities
This means that II druggist buys an
ounce of cocaine he must keep "a rec
ord of It's purchase and OF every sale.
He must keep the name OF every per-
son to whom he sslis any OF the drug,
and with the name he must retain on
fle the prescription Of the doctor on
the authority o. which the drug was
sold.
The law will include heroin in the
list of those drugs. the unlawful sale
OF which constitutes q felony.
number of negroes are now under
going penal servi,ude for selling CO.
caine. while the men who sold heroin
were given small fines, as they were
guilty only of misdemeanor.
kz GYnt, nrxa rI
OF Pharmacy, was quoted yesterday
as saying. in reference to the investi-
CATION OF the conduct of a Richm ond
ply sician charged with issuing pre-
scriptions for excessive amounts OF
heroin and cocaine, that the board
might not be able to make such an
inquiry, the medical experts called
upon to say whether the doses were
too large. have refused to testify. Civ
ing az their reason that IL would be
contrary to the ethics OF the profes'
sion.
1t is believed that the facts relative
to the two druggists recently fined
in Police Court will be further venti-
lated by the board.
Mr. Miller says:
1T is the men higher up whom we
seek to get / do not think 1t right
TO have more than forty ignorant
Penitentiary at the present time for
the Illegal sale of cocaine when the
men responsible for those sales-the
men from whom the traffickers
secured the drugs--are walking the
streets as free men and living the
lives Of apparently reputable citizens
They are much more guilty than the
men arrested In my opinion, and /
hope to see the passa ge Of laws which
will enable US to reach them.
II do not know what the State
Board of Pharmacy will do with re-
spect to the druggists who recently
admitted selling heroin illegally. The
matter will certainly come before the
board a It's next meeting. but, OF
course, I cannot say what action VIII
he taken The fact that reputabs
physicians ri the city has refused to
testify In cases where prescriptions
of another physician form part OF the
evidence has greatly handicapped us.
Many Of the physicians with whom
have talked are Of the opinion that
excessive quantities Of heroin are be-
ing prescribed but for professional
reasons they are unwilling to testify
to that effect in court"