New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-09
special Agents Investi-
eating Concerns Which
Send Out Drugs.
LAW ALSO BROKEN
BY MANY DOCTORS
Sale of Morphine and Cocaine al
High Prices Only Object
Of Culprits.
From The Tribune Bur.su. !

Washington. April s.A big business
in supplying drug users with morphine
and cocaine has been carried on since
the passage Of the Harrison law by
fake cure concerns. il was asserted to-
day by Or. Il. Il. Reese. OF the Internal
Revenue Division of the Treasury De-
partment. Special agents. he added,
are investigating the activities of GER
tain firms. and also wholesale viola
tions of the law by large number of
INSCRIPTIONS physicians, who have been
furnishing prescriptions to persons un-
able in any other way TO obtain their
customary drugs.
These fake cure institutions are
much the worst offenders said DR..
Reese. "They send TO the drug victim
blank for him TO fill out. which de-
scribes his symptoms. They pretend
to study each person individually and
to make a prescription which fits his
case accurately. This medicine is COM
piled and sent to the victim by express,
so az to avoid violation of the postal
laws.
81 am going TO find out if the solicit
ing of this business by using the mail
is not a violation of the law. but at
present do not know how the Post
office Department would view this.
Sales the Only Concern.
However. as matter of actual fact,
the fake cure concern does not bother
10 study the patients symptoms other
than quick scanning OF his descrip-
tion 10 see what drug he has been
using. Then they send the victim a
connection which contains a liberal
amount of that drug. The last hing
on earth they want TO do is to cure
him. They want him TO keep on writ
Ing for that same medicine and buying
the drug from them at fancy prices.
"Of course, there is big profit in
the business, for the victim is paying
for scientific services in studying his
case and working out a cure which, as
matter Of fact, are not given.
zone particularly pitiful letter |
have Just received tells of a man who
has been treated by one Of these fake
cure concerns for twelve years. OF
course. he has not been cured. He is
worse off now than when he started.
And the worst of il is, the man was
not merely attempting to get the drug
in some way which would get around
the Harrison law, for when he began
TO take the treatment of this insti-
tuition he was able TO get the drugs he
needed at a drugstore without pre-
scription. That was long before the
Harrison law went into effect He
wanted to get cured, and he made the
mistake of dealing with a quack con-
Germ, which merely wanted to make a
profit out of selling him the drug. and
so, Of course. did not want him to
stop using the poison, for that would
cut a customer off the lists.
Heavy Doses of Drugs.
an investigating these alleged cures
which these concerns are sending out
( in such large quantities our inspectors
have found that some of the mixtures
contain fifteen grains OF morphine TO
the ounce, and others five grains of
cocaine to the ounce.
I've do not propose to interfere
with physicians who are conscientious
~ attempting TO cure drug users by
gradually decreasing their doses. We
arc after the physicians who have been
simply selling prescriptions 70 the VIC
Tins They are just as bad. almost
as the institutions | have described
! Naturally, in the cure OF these un-
/ fortunates, some of the drugs must be
/ used. and we do not wish TO hamper
! physicians who are doing their work
/ honestly What we are after are the
| crooks who are making money out OF
1 the inability of the users to buy their
! drugs in the old way