Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-16
hiGiD LAWS URGED TO CURB
GROWING NARCOTIC DRUG EVIL

N''''nesa IRON fnms 0ne
IN Philadelphia. attacklns all c,as... ., no.
PIE, 's revealed IN the coumWtee's rcpor,
Ihis warming Is sounded BY the commit.
Ine result OF the committees re-.
sesrcn v that the problem of addic-
ton 10 the hhbltuai use Of narcc,tc
drugs n sufficiently serious IN n. ras
ture and widespread IN extent TO con.
stitute an increasingly grave aource Of
danger 20 the social and economic
well-being Of Philadelphia and Penn
sylvRnia.
EIGHTy-srx CASES STUDIED
The findings Of the committee fully cor
roborates the facts concerning the spread
OF the narcotic drug evil In Phuadelphia
as contained In recent series OF dope
articles published BY the EyENtNo i.EpoER
A careful Study Of elehty-slx cases Of
drug addicts by the committee brought
forth revelations well calculated TO alarm
the most conservative citizen The com.
mittee shows that the dope evil has cropped
out In all sections OF the cty--west Phla.
delphia. South Philadelphia. Germa ntown
and kensington The report states that
the dope fiends say they do not need to
10 far from home to obtain their supply
OF drugs
The EVENING T.EpoER's revelation Of how
large quantities OF drugs are dispensed BY
peddlers and INSCRIPTIONS physicians and
druggists Is substantlated In the report
which details how the peddlers distribute
their goods. aud shows how dope doctors
reap harvest by sellng~drug to unfor-
tunates under the guise Of, the reduction
treatment
AGES OF ADDICTs
The report backs up the charges con-
tained In the EVENING LEooER articles
that heroin and cocaine parties are i'm
portant factors In the spread OF narcotic
drug usage In Philadelphia. The partIcl.
states. used 400 grains of the drug In a
period lasting twenty hours.
In pointing out how the dope scourge
is making the young its especial victims
the report says TINT OF the group OF
eighty-sIx addicts studied by the commit.
tee. sisty-four contracted the habit between
the ages OF eighteen and thirty years. Piti-
fui instances are given OF how morphine
heroin and concaine have blasted the lives
OF young men and mere boys In this city
COMMITTEES PURPOSE
when the committee was organized II s.,
forth its purposes as follows;
The probable extent Of narcotic drug
addiction in this city and State
What help could be given In the cure
of victims of the habit.
What legislation by the State of
PennSytVantn ulBnt assist the Federal
authorities in their work OF restricting
the sale OF narcotic drugs TO legitimate
uses. thus checking the further spread
of the drug habit
sum OF money was privately collected
the services of an investigator was OBJ
tained and a careful study OF the use Of
narcotic drugs in Philadelphia and Penn
sylvania was made.
The COMMITTEES consisted Of Edward w
Box. chairman. Samuel T. Bodine. chairman
Of the executive COMMITTEES; ; G. H. -I.udlng
ton. treasurer; DR. John II. w, Rhein. sec
retary: Pierce Archer. Jr.. Charles w Ed
munds, II. la Barre Jayne. Howard NJ
Long. Otto T. Mallery. DIR. Francis r. Pack
ard. J. Rodman Paul, DR. Horatio C
Wood Jr.
The report, In part, follows:
We have no reliable means of estimat
Ing the number OF drug users In Pennsyl
vnnia. The number OF institutions is hardl!
reliable key TO the number usfAg tn
drugr since many 20 for years withou
treatment. In one case the user took NOR
phlne for thirty years and probably woul'
have continued uninterruptedly but for tn
Harrison law.