The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1915-04-01
LAW PASSED
TO DECREASE.
DRUG HABIT
NORTH DAKOTA PENANT GIVES
SALIENT FEATURES OF RE-
CENT BILL AFFECTING MAR.
COTICS.

The Penant issued by the North Da-
kota Anti tuberculosis association
has the following interesting COM
ment on the new drug law:
The new Federal Drug Law that
went into effect March LIST. Its OBJ
jects is to decrease the use of such
habit-forming drugs as opium and CO.
caine, and to lessen the tendency to
crime. There has been in this coun-
try, says the report on the bill, ian al
most shameless traffic in these drugs.
Criminal classes have been created
and economic degradation is wide
spread among the upper classes of So
ciety.. We L an opium consuming
nation today. In the five countries,
Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland and
England, with a total population Of
1854 ,000,0 900 there is consumed less
than $4,000 pounds of opium annually,
while the United States with a poula-
ton of say-1O0 ,00O,0 900 imports and
consumes over 100000 pounds of OPP
ium each year. According to statis-
tics furnished Congress at the time
the Harrison bill was under consider
alton; of the general criminal popula-
ton 45.48 per cent are habitual drug
users. 1t has long been known that
the majority of sure cures on the
market contain more or less opium
and cocaine or their derivatives and
that these lull the senses and give to
the sufferer the feeling that he is be-
ing helped, while in reality they are
only burning his boats and depriving
him of the last chance for recovery.
Chief Transgressor.
Consumption Cures have been
among the chief transgrcssors in this
respect and if the bill do nothing more
than stop this criminal deception and
lessen the indiscriminate distribution
of such nostrun1s, it will be worth
while. There is nothing in the law
that would indicate a desire to limit
the sale of habit forming drugs int
ended for legitimate use, but it is in
tended to prohibit the sale and traffic
in them for illicit purposes. 1t limits
their sale only to the extent of making
each transaction a matter of record.
There may be some misunderstanding
of the requirements and for a time
evasions O. the part of physicians, but
in a short time these will disappear
and the medical profession will unite
with those responsible for it's enforce
lment with a hearty good will. The re.
quirements as far as physicians and
surgeons are concerned may be sum-
med up in this way:
1. Registration in due form with
the Revenue Collector of your district
for which a fee of $1.OO per year is
necessary.
Inventory of Drugs.
II. An inventory of all drugs Gov
cred in your possession, March 1, with
an attached affidavit. This is to be
kept by the physician for reference
and for the information. of the reve-
nue. collector.
F.; III. Procuring from the Internal
Revenue Collector duplicate blanks for
the future purpose of any of the drugs
covered. These cost ten cents per pad
of ten. Duplicates to be kept for two
years.
Sign Your Name.
w. Signing your name in full to
every prescription containing drugs
covered by the law, stating in addition
your registry number, the location OF
your office, and the name and address
of the person for whom such prescrip,
ton is written and dating the same as
on the day on which signed. Dupli-
Gates of these must be kept by the
physician for a period of two years
v. Keeping a record of all drugs
covered by the law, dispensed or dis.
tributed by the physician himself
Such record to show date of distribut.
ing or dispensing, the kind and guam.
tity of the drug and the name and aid.
dress to whom such drugs are dispens.
ed O. distributed. The record must b.
kept for two years.
vi. There must be an order, a pre-.
scription or a record for each tran.
saction; the druggist or dispenser not
being allowed to refill or repeat either
lprescription or order"