The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-05

as are necessary-p1us w1ll-power- every drug addict can be cured. But we are more intimately concerned in stopping the thing before it begins than in curing it after it commences.
 The Harrison Bill
 A nation wide effort to restrict the sale of opiates is now attempted. The Harrison Bill recently introduced in Congress, on it's face, seems to have been intended as a step in the right direction. It aims to abolish unlawful traffic in habit-forming poi sons, and provides for the registration with the Collector of Internal Reve nue of all having to do with this traf- fic. It also imposes a. special tax ''upon all persons who produce, inn port, manufacture, compound, deal in, dispense. sell, distribute or give away opium or cocoa leaves, their salts, de- rivat1ves, or preparations of deriva- tiv~e''
 This bill contemplafes that every person or firm having anything to do with these drugs must sign a receipt for the same, and keep. a record of the transaction in duplicate on a form provided for this purpose. This, to the end, that accurate tab can be kept upon the who's who 1n the Narcotic Directory. It is not intended that this restriction apply to physicians, den- lists, or veterinarians, who shall dis
 
 ance of patient
 All of which is very admirable and excellent-So far it goes And would absolutely kill the illicit traf- fic and end the degradation of our country-if it stopped there. But the good effects of the bill are effec- tual1y negative by the little stjoker'' inserted in Section 10. This is a l''proviso'' to the effect that this act l ''shalI not be construed'' to apply to | f1 nf1 sal stribution, giving away, or dispens- ing of preparations and remedies which do not contain more than 2 grains of opiuTns or one-fourth of a, grain of morphine, or one-third of a grain of heroin, or one grain Of CO., dein, or their salts and derivatives | in one fluid ounce; ors if a solid or 1 semi-soIid preparatio ions, in one aver dupofs ounce; or to nnimerts, oint- ments, or other preparations which are prepared for external use only: l Provided, that such remedies and 1 preparations, are manufactured, com l pounded, sold, distributed. given away, or dispensed as medicines, and
 not for the purpose of evading the | provisions of this act"
 ] The most exacting dope ffend, the 1 most confirmed habitue, could not ! possibly ask more. For if he can get an unlimited amount of his favorite poison in nostrum form, anything else | l may or may not provide" are mat | ters of indifference to him. There will be weeping and wai1ing 1 and gnasI1ing of teeth among the
 dead-sou1ed corporations manufacture ing the various sstonics'' and 'tten-
 perance drinks''-poor in both tonic and temperance qualities, but exceed ing rich in "dope,'1if the Harrison l biIl-without it's joker-becones a law. But become a law it must, for the country Is being thoroughly arous- ed as to the gravity of the problem T which has been forced upon it.
 It demands to know what becomes l of the one hundred and fifty thou sand ounces of cocaine, and the 4Oo,- 000 pounds of opium, annually i'm ported into the United States. It is interesting in finding out just how 1 ;.soft'' temperance drink" is that carries a quarter of grain of cocaine to the glassful. It demands that to- l bacco, catarrh, hay-fever, cough, and epilepsy stcures,'' which relieve one habit or symptom, to replace it by abolished. It insists that the bless ing of narcotics for, legitimate ruedi- cal and surgical use be safe guarded,
 and kept exclusively in the hands of reputable practicers.
 It is determined to save drug vic- tims from themselves. It is intimate | ly concerned in killing the most
 hideous thing that menaces the physi- cal and mental integrity of Ameri-
 cans1 There can be no temp porizing.
 All the influences for good in this
 country must be united toward
 breaking the shack1es.