The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-04-01
new "DOPE" LAW
TO LESSEN CRIME
Anti-narcotIc Act Limits Sales
Of All Harmful Drugs.
BIG INCREASE IN IMPORTS.


dIcted TO Use Of Opium In Some Of
Its Forms--over 4oo, 1000 Pounds Con.
suned In This Country Annually.
Washington.-The Harrison anti-nar-
cotic act, effective March /, will great
ly decrease the use of drugs and tend
to lessen crime in this country IL 1t
proves as effective ms its sponsors hope.
This measure, enacted last Deem
Der, provides In effect that on and aft
er March /, 1915, no dealer shall be al
lowed to sell or give away habit form
ing drugs without physicians pre-
scription or direct instructions from a
doctor. Drugs thus placed under the
ban are opium, coca leaves or any com
pound. manufacture, salt, deriyative or
preparation made from such drugs.
Remedies which contain more than
two grains of opium or more than one
fourth OF grain OF morphine, or one
eighth of a grain OF heroin, or one
grain Of codeine are included In the list
OF narcotics which cannot be dispensed
in any manner unless specifically or
dered by a physician. A special tax OF
81 year must be paid from March l
by all persons who sell or dispense
such drugs. ANY person who fails to
comply with the requirements or the
law is subject to a fine OF not more
than $1,000 or Imprisonment for term
OF five years. or both.
Congress appropriated $4,000 TO be
dispensed by the commissioner of in
ternal revenue to enforce the new law.
According to statistics furnished con
gress at the time the Harrison bill was
under consideration, 6 per cent OF the
prisoners In large jails and state
prisons are addicted to the opium habit
in some one or its forms. and OF the
general criminal population, 45.4S per
cent are habitual users of the drug. In
the medical profession of this same
territory there appears to be an average
of 2.06 per cent who use opium and
1872 PR cent of trained nurses are
likewise addicted to drugs i'm one form
or another.
Statistics furnished by manufactur-
ers show that the use OF morphine in
the rural districts Of some eastern
states has increased 100 per cent in
the last ten years. An estimate made
from the sales book of one firm shows
that in one or two of these states the
use OF opium has increased $50 per
cent
According to the arguments made by
the proponents Of the law the United
States government Is bound by the con-
vention signed at The Hague. Jan. %,
1912, to control the sale Of opium and
allied traffics i'm this country. 1t bas
been pointed out that during the last
twenty-five years opium, morphine,
coca leaves and cocaine have been i'm
ported into this country, manufactured
and placed upon the general market in
such forms as to be available to any
one who desires them or who desires
to trade I'm them.
Ts, report Of the international opi-
am commission shows that Italy, with
a population OF 33.000.00O. imports and
CONSUMES but G.000 pounds of medici.
aal opium each year; that Spain, with
Il population OF 10000 900. imports and
nses so little that II is not separately
entered In customs or other returns
Germany, whose population is 60,O0O,
600, imports about 17,000 pounds FOL
home consumption and Holland about
5000 pounds a year. These figures
show that the five European countries
with total population Of 164,OOO, 900
import and consume less than 5O,O0(
pounds Of opium annually.
According to figures laid before con
gress, the United States imports and
consumes over 100000 pounds OF OPT
um each year. 1t has been claimed
that the importation Of opium and
morphine into the United States dur
ing the last fifty years has not beer
excessive, but has simply grown Will
the increase in population. Advocates
OF the law which has just been writ
ten upon the statute books deny thii
assertion. Figures In their possession
show that the importation Of opium
| during the decade Of 1900 wa
1 lt3<Op 1OO DOuuuo 0o o6uAhct III AAAP~A
tation of 6.435. .623 pounds for the dec
ade 1909, an increase Of 351 pc
cent. This has not taken into accoun
opium smuggled during this period
Thus, as against 133 per cent In
crease In the total population In tn
five decades, there was an increase II
the importation and consumption o
opium Of 351 per cent
It is claimed that this enormous In
crease Is directly due to the facilit.
with which the drug may be imported
manufactured into it's various deriva
tives and preparations and placed with
In the reach Of the Individual.
There has been In this country.
says the report on the Harrison bill
ian almost shameless traffic In thes
drugs. Criminal classes have beei