The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-18
LETTERS TO EDITOR
The New Antiopiate Law

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 I am truly glad to announce that all the illiterates and fools don't live in Ala bama as suggested by the New York World a few days ago in referring to the anti-liauor advertising law passed recently by our legislature. It was not as liberal as the Houston Post, whose edi- tor said: 'I believe the citizenship of Alabama is sensible, but the mistake is in the legislature
 Since the passage of the anti-opiate law by Congress our illiteracy looks good to me. When congressman lose sight of the benefit of opiates In the treatment of dis ease and make a law compelling doctors and druggists to use certain blank in the purchase or disposal of opiates and to keep a two-years' record of the same, and require them to buy their blanks and the privilege of dispensing in their prac- tice. and to cap the climax fail to issue said blanks after they are paid from five to b days before March 1, when the law takes effect, so the doctor, druggist or wholesaler can't get it. then reason and common sense fade, and we decide of all the extreme fools on record in a civ- ilized country those congressman are the biggest, broadest and most ridiculous of any. -.
 It is very strange that men will legis- late on questions of which they know com paratively nothing of the effect Morality with such has become fanatical and will result in immortality. don't know how many, if any, of our congressmen voted for the law, but hope none did What benefit is a record of such prescriptions and sales? Wfll that record prevent the dope fiends from buying it? There is only one opportunity to check the use of morphine and the opfates, and that is for the doctors to charge too much for the prescriptions, and it would be an injustice for them to do so, if for no other reason that they are to blame, as a great many have become dope fiends on account of the doctors prescribing it too long as a result of some intractable and continued disease.
 If the government wants to get rid of the dope fiends, why don't they do it in a direct way and not indirectly, as they are doing? Some of those who have become addicted to the use of the opiates are about as good as some of our congress- men, for occasionally you will find one Of them in the same condition, unless they 'ihfC iihPiONtQ ItctntLy. He IOTClnB Ol morality and will power on people with out other aid has always been failure in America. The use of opiates is much harder to quit, and with more serious results than whisky, as possibly you have noted recently by the death of some dope fends in Alabama and Georgia on &C., count of this law. It seems that our leg islEtors are not as well balanced as they were few years ago, or the extreme ten- dency of a great many of our citizens on moral questions has developed their latest weakness Unless we have chance In our legislation soon our state is going to be the laughing stock of the nation. We thought Tennessee had gone to the dogs, but note what the Memphis Com mercial-Appeal says: We poked fun at our legislature, but by comparison with the legislature of Alabama and Wisconsin we have bunch of soions that would make the seven wise men of Greece look pale. about the Gills.~
 That is coming somei We can't stand much more and hold our temper. We are ridiculed by Georgia, Texas, Tennessee New York, Massachusetts and others, and the shame is, some Of them don't give any of the Alabama population credit for having good sense, and that Is more than some of smart men can bear much longer, and we are liable to rise up al- most any time and call for the proof.
 .On. TOT more cOnserVausm ana common sense in our legislation. I referred to the anti-opiate law. and that we doctors had no blanks to get any opiates, so the government proposes to make our pa- tients do without till they get ready; and any fool knows that it is absolutely neces- sary for physicians to have morphine, etc., in their practice. Frequently we are in a rush and have to wait to write an or- der for few grains. If such is justice I don't need any of it in my business.
 Why don't the government establish sanatoriums for the benefit of the dope fiends, as they know that they can't quit the use of the drug suddenly. as they |sare so seriously interested in checking