The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-01-26
NEW LAW PUTS Dr.
ON ALL DOPE DRUGS
. FEDERAL ACT TO STOP TRAF-
FIG IN COKE WILL BECOME
EFFECTIVE MARCH 1ST.
(HF MOST RESTRICTIVE YET

W Morphine, Cocaine or Heroin Can
Re Sold Except on Doctors Pre-
scription. Orders Shall Be Open
to Inspection.
The most restrictive federal law
rot pased governing the sale of GER
tain classes of drugs will go into eff
q feet March LIST.
Il But little publicity has been given
fine new law, which provides a rigid
A registration system, in the guise of a
revenue measure, for all persons who
deal in, prescribe, manufacture or
give away opium or coca leaves, their
salts, derivatives or preparations
This list will include opium, cocaine,
morphine, heroin, codeine and sew
eraI similar drugs. 1t will affect all
druggists physicians, dentists, veter-
inarians and others who handle or
prescribe the drugs.
1t is provided that every person
who deals in any way with the drugs
shall register with the collector of
the internal revenue district where
he lives his name or style of his
firm, place of business and other in
formation. At the time of such reg
istry and on or before the first day
Of July annually he shall pay to the
collector a special tax of 81.
1t shall then be unlawful for such
person or firm registered to sell,
barter, exchange or give away any of
the drugs covered by the act except
in pursuance of an order or 9rescrip-
ton delivered by the person securing
the drugs. The order blank for this
purpose shall be printed and distrib-
uted by the government, and after it
is filled the order or prescription
shall be preserved for q period of
two years.
Orders Shall Be Open.
The section of the code which, it
is believed, will make it easier than
it ever has been to prosecute drug
sellers, provides that these orders
shall be open at all times to inspec
ton by federal, state, city and coun-
ty officers charged with enforcement
of laws and ordinances against the
sale of certain drugs.
Another provision of the law,
which makes it even more searching,
is that any person giving another per-
son an order for the drugs named in
the act shall himself keep a dupli-
cate for period Of two years, and
these duplicates also will be accessi-
BILE to officers enforcing drug laws.
This section will make it virtually
impossible for drugs to be obtained
unlawful1y on prescription by physi-
clans.
The law specifically says, however,
that nothing in it shall be construed
to apply ito the dispensing or dis
tribution of any of the aforesaid
drugs to a patient by physician,
dentist or veterinary surgeon regis
tered under this act in the course of
his professional practice only" pro-
Vided the physician or dentist keeps
an accurate record of such drugs dis
pensed or distributed, including the
name of the patient, the amount pre-
scribed and other data.
The commissioner of internal reve-
nue. shall cause suitable forms to be
prepared for the purpose mentioned
and these shall be sent to persons
who have been registered under the
provisions of the act These forms
shall not be sold to any other person.
They will cost not to exceed 81 per
hundred.
Further Safeguard.
To guard against the drugs being
dispensed by any person not register
ed it is made unlawful for any per-
son to have in his possession or I'M
der his control any of the drugs COW
cred by the act, ''and such possession
shall be presumptive evidence of a
violation of the act. This provis-
Ion will make it possible for the fed
eraI government to reach purveyors
OF drugs who sell to those who are
unable to secure morphine, cocaine,
neroin and other drugs from dealers
There are certain exemptions made
IN the act, one of which is that the
drugs may be sold to officers of the
united States government who are
lawfully engaged in making pur-
onases of the above named drugs for
the various departments of the army
and navy, the public health service
and for government hospitals and
prisons, and of officers of any state
government or any county or munich