Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-18
The Fight Against Dope
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

it's success has been won at in pain
and crime Thousands of persons have suffered and
of them have died, as result OF being deprived
of drugs to which they been addicted for years
whole system of smuggling been built up to sup
ply their insistent demand, with this system the
Federal officers have waged dramatic battle
The Harrison law has frequently been referred to as
the comprehensive effective law yet devised
minimizing traffic in drugs 1t marks an epoch
the history ant-narcotc legislation because OF the
fact that it provides a and original metnoo OF
controlling manufacture. sale and use of prescribed
drugs from time they imported until they reach
the 1t requires who handles marco
tics to register tax and keep careful record OF
all transactions sold by the government Be-
ing itself regulatory police measure, the
Federal law can not be expected the place Of
laws designed restrict the sale and use or
habit forming drugs. Legislators, recognizing the
limitations of the Federal law, have during the past
year elaborate the provisions of this
law by the enactment laws which would serve
control of the features of drug abuse not
touched by the Federal law
The day that this law went into effect, pronn~
ent business asked to have prescription renlled
a Washington pharmacy. On inquiry he explained.
innocentIy, that given him not by his own
physician by physician in good standing in New
York. and always cured him of the grippe He admit
grippy very often. The clerk told him
under the law the prescription could not be
refled contained heroin. 1t decided to fill
without heron, but the effect not as before
He longed for the drug he had become accustomed to
and it took several months treatment to cure him.
druggist of 900 who registered the
law required and solicited in enforcing
$4,000 physicians $1,000 dentists.
10000 veterinarians, 5000 hospitals and LOO whole
sale druggists who registered under the law. The
operation nearly quarter of million persons was
obtained addition to the government officials and
police whose business it to see the law carried out
A short time law into effect two young
souched along of the streets in New Yorks
side, whose pale faces and twitchng lips showed
they agony to the drug addict
when deprived of his stimulant. A strange Italian
stopped and, in broken English explained that he
had substitute cocaine which twice ef-
fective. With shaking hands they counted out
price, seized the tablets offered and crushed them
on their tongues Within ten minutes. both dropped
senseless The overdose of the powerful substitute
their bodies They died within the
hour. During that day ten other applied to the
New York police for treatment They said that the
market had been cornered and only the wealthy
could get supply.
There 1921 drug the Metropoli-
tan Hospital, York. during the last months of
1915. There So voluntary drug patients at
Bellevue during January of this year =
The new law did from the break up a great
of the traffic in narcotics But the underworld is
easily conquered In the large cities the dope
syndicates" been systematically smuggling and
distributing drugs and have defed the law. In
raid in San Francisco Chinese found
guarding $4,000 worth of smugged opium 1t be-
lieved to have been shipped from Mexico, dropped off
steamships through portfolios by Chinese coolies at
brought in launches 1t then shipped
depot the waterfront transferred TO trunks and
sent to headquarters. The tin casks
painted black and could be floating the
night In another instance. seventy OF
opium, containing 100 fve-taeI each and valued
at approximately s456OOO, intercepted by
officials. This is said to be the largest single seizure
made in the United States.
But all Of the smuggling through ports
entry. The organizations also inter-
national boundaries. The police believe that the
recently arrested in Detroit and known the
Queen Dopes" is the mead gigantic organiza-
tion which has been bringing in immense quantities
from Canada The dope is brought in under necktes,
false cigarettes memo books and in numerous
other ways One huncnback who arrested
suspicion found not to be hunchback at all His
bunch to carry dope
Difficulty is also encountered on the Mexican line
One drug in Juarez. Mexico. was found to be
shipping $500 worth of drugs into United
every day. 1t has also been discovered that drugs
been mailed into the United States in the folds
foreign newspapers.
The authorities successful in detecting
some of distributing organizations. Detectives
concealed themselves in the "house a thousand
Dreams" Minneapolis, and awaited the finger
nail rap" which is the pass word whole dope
consuming dope-dispensng fraternity. They seized
drugs, valued at $1,000 had been stolen from
sale drug house. and it is believed that the fiat had
used regular headquarters for dispensing
them addicts who called there
Some of the hardest organizations to fight are those
in prisons. One keeper carried dope to those
behind the bars in mis- artificial About half
keepers the Tombs reported seeing sensible
prisoners eating portion of shirt front chewing
The investigation which followed showed that
dope used in the starchng solution prison
laundry and the prisoners had informed by means
the usual underground telegraph"
Visits from lmousines bearing welT-dressed
a raid Chinese laundry. Detectives en-
tered the carrying a bundle of clothes They
caught Whit of opium fumes and rushing to the rear
the place. burst door found of the
most elaborate smoking ayouts that has
in country In another raid on a dentists Office
a dope cabinet found in the seat tie operating
chair. When the patient sat in the chair got
ing of dope. These typical what the
revenue contend with. There have ben three nun
twenty-five convictions and about two hun
bred twenty sentences imposed.
There also a number of which drop
nod unon recommendation of the United
.o,,s toev were bv he tat laws