The Cordova daily times., 1917-01-10
WANT: PRESIDENT ID REGULATE
 DRUG HABIT
(By Associateb Press.)


 neCtion with proposed amendment' to the Harrison narcotic law, which are to be considered by congress Charles B. Towns, of New York. ar authority on anti-drug legislation urges that congress empower Presi dent Wilson to appoint a committed to investigate the whole subject ot federal responsibility in the solution of the habit forming drug problem Devoting twenty page pamphlet tc the information of congress" Mir Towns declares that the findings oi such federal committee would help the various states to arrive at a uni form solution of the drug problem and would establish a legislative medical and sociological precedent that would give this country for the first time the primacy it ought to have in asking other countries to join with us once and for all in terminal. ing this evil"
 My findings have shown" said MT. Towns. that not more than ten per cent of those afflicted with the drug habit are entitled to use drugs con tinuOusly because of physical disa. bility. We are sacrificing ninety per cent of those who could be well and normal without the drug to alleviate suffering of some few incurable Der. sons"
 Among many lOophoies in the pres ent laws, MT Towns pointed out that a drug taker or any person purport- ing to be drug taker can at present have just as many physicians pres cribing narcotic for him as he may see fit to have. and he may demand just as much of the drug as he chooses to take.
 The doctor does not have to find out whether or not the patient is a confirmed drug taker; he can take the mans word for it, and prescribe just what the patient asks for. A few such patients could practically cor ner almost the entire habit forming drug market, and if they wanted to do so, could establish themselves in the habit forming drug business"
 After pointing out the extent to which many sO-called patent medi- clnes and "prOprietaries" are respon. sible for the growth of drug addic- ton. MT Towns suggested that one solution of the drug problem might be to restrict the manufacture, sale, prescribing and administering Of opi- ates strictly to the crude opium, to laudanum and paregoric, and to hold the physician to a strict accounta. bility of all these he personally pre- scribes or administers.
 We can dispense even with nor phine and all of the opium alkaloids. ," he said. T can go back to the time in the south when there was an old rosewood medicine chest with ball of opium and vile paregoric, and these easily met every possible need where Opiates were considered neces- sary to alleviate pain. The medical profession would not be inconven. fenced in the slightest degree by such a restriction and it would at once eliminate every unfavorable hazard that has grown out of the use of habit forming drugs for medical prescrip- tion.'
 MT. Towns also urged that the sale of hypodermic syringes should be restricted to purchase by physicians prescription. Outside of New York State" he said, these can be bought in any drug store and in most de, partment stores as easily as & pack, age of chewing gum" He declared that the nurse should not be allowed possession of hypodermic needle ex. cept by the physicians order. and that the dose to be administered should at all times be strictly regu lated by the physician.
 "A committee of able men appoint ed by the president, with adequate ap- propriation to enable them to conduc, hearings and make investigations and empowered to go to the bottom of the drug problem - take off the roof and open up the whole business to the blue sky, could do wonders" said Mir Towns. The states could then en. act proper corelative and interactfne legislation and the drug situation would be securely in hand.
 As soon as the war ie over the time will be ripe and right for us to bring about the necessary interna tional understanding on this subject with all of the prime movers of the world"