The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-06
TOWNS URGES ANTI
DRUG INVESTIGATION

O4v, Jdu. ILL COu-
nection with proposed amendments to |
the Harrison Narcotic law which are |
to be considered by congress, Charles |
B. Towns of New York. an authority |
on antidrug legislation. urges that !
congress empower President Wilson /
to appoint a committee to Investigate |
the whole subject of federal response |
bility in the solution OF the habit
forming drug problem. Devoting a
twenty-page pamphlet to 1.-The infOr
| nation of congress-" Mr.. Towns de-
clares that the findings of such a fed
eral committee would help the vari-
Gus states to arrive at a uniform sOlu-
! ton 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 terminating this evil"
| My findings have shown said Mr..
| 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 disabil-
| ity We are sacrificing ninety per
cent of those who could be well and
normal without the drug to alleviate
suffering of some few incurable per-
sons"
Among many loophOleS in the pres
ent laws. Mr.. Towns pointed out that
that a drug-taker or any person pur-
porting to be drug-taker can at pres
ent have just as many physicians pre-
| scribing a 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
t drug market and. if they wanted to
I do so. could establish themselves in
the habitforming business.
After pointing out the extent to
which many so-called patent medi-
: | cineS and ''proprietarieS are reSpOn
!, sible for the growth of drug addiction
! Mr. Towns suggested that one solu
), ton of the drug problem might be tC
! restrict the manufacture. sale. pre-
scribing and administering of opiates
strictly to crude opium. to laudanun
and paregoric. and to hold the physi
clan to a strict accounting of all these
he personally preScribes or admin
listers.
We can dispense even with NOR
phine and all of the opium alkaloids
he said 4 can go back to the tim,
in the south when there was an OLE
|. rosewood medicine chest with a bal
n of opium and a vial of paregoric an'
@ these easily met every possible nee'
p | where opateS were considered neces
sary TO allviate pain. Til medical pre-
fession would not be inconvenience
in the slightest degree by such re
striction and it would at once elm
q mate every unfavorable hazard tina
: has grown out of the use of habit
forming drugs for medical prescriE
= ton"
: Mr. Towns also urged that the sal
of hypodermic svringes should b
restricted to purchase by physician:
prescription Outside of New Yor
state" he said. these can be bougl
- in any drug store and in most depar
ment stores as easily as a packas
= OF chewing gum. He declared thu
the nurse should not be allowed pc
= session of a hypodermic needle eXcel
by the physicians order and that Il
dose TO be administered should at a
times be strictly regulated by the phi
stefan
A committee of able men appoin
ed by the president with adequate a
preparation to enable them to co
duct hearings and make investigation
and empowered to go to the botto
of the drug problem off II
roof and open UP the whole bushes
to the blue Sky. could do wonders
said Mr.. Towns. The states cou
then enact proper corelative and int
acting legislation and the drug stu
ton would be securely in hand.
AS soon as the war is over Il
time viii be ripe and right for Us
bring about the necessary intern
tionai understanding on this subje
With all OF the prime movers of 4
world