The Arizona copper camp., 1918-05-25
NO MORE CHEAP 'JAGS;;"
: ''1 GOOD Ij'I|T BYE u DRUG RUG; STORE BOOZE
County Attorney Richardson IT'S Said Will Follow Rule
of Maricopa County-Beef Iron and Wine Taboo-No
More Marathon Tonic Drunks for Jag Sports

Jag sports of all variety will be
interested in the rule just. announced
! by Laney, the district attorney of Mar
icopt county, and the announced de-
cision of H. G. Richardson, district at
torney of Pinal county, to follow the
same relating to sales of liquid medi-
cines containing alcohol. Other coun-
ties are adopting the rule, consequent
| ly it is of the same effect as if enacted
! by the Legislature.
The Laney letter reads as follows:
Phoenix, Ariz., May Is, 1918.
ITO all druggists, grocers. and
other persons in Maricopa county deal
ing in medicines, flavoring extracts,
and other liquids which may contain
a percentage of grain alcohol:
"Gentlemen:-A number of drug
gists and some grocers of Maricopa
county have complained to the county
attorneys office that they are at loss
to know what medicines, extracts, etc.,
may be lawfully supplied to their Gus
toners. To interpret our laws upon
this subject in manner that is at the
same time fair to the state and fair
to the legitimate trade, is no easy
task 1t is found that a very large
number of the proprietary medicines
commonly sold contain alcohol in
some amount. MANY of these, how
ever, are so strongly medicated that
their use as beverages would be highly
impractical. On the other hand, con-
firmed alcoholics have been known to
get drunk on bay rum, and even on
spirits of camphor, after treating the
same in some manner. l have before
me dental cream marked twenty per
cent alcohol. 1t is quite apparent that
the percentage of alcohol in a sub
stance is not alone controlling upon
the question of whether it may be law
fully sold, but that the real question
of whether the substance is such that
1T may be easily, or even practically,
used as an intoxicating beverage, and
whether, containing alcohol, it is sold
as beverage.
Il have consulted the various treas
ury decisions, issued by the United
States Commissioner of Internal Rev
enue, touching the question of what
are intoxicating alcoholic compounds,
and have drawn upon the experience
of the peace officer of Maricopa coun-
ty, and feel that the observance of
the following rules of Interpretation
of our prohibition laws will be a prac-
tical solution of the question under
consideration. I invite the co-opera-
tion of all dealers to the end that there
may be no unfair competition owing
to observance of these rules by some,
and non-observance by others, and to
the further end that prosecutions for
selling alcoholic medicines, extracts
and essences may not be necessary in
the future.
Section 2 of Chapter SO of the Ses-
sion Laws of Arizona, 1917, contains
among other things, the following:
Provided f. also, that nothing
herein shall prevent the manu-
facture and sale of such prepara-
tions as flavoring extracts, es-
sences, tinctures, perfumes or
remedies containing drugs or
medicines which do not contain
more alcohol than is necessary
for legitimate purposes for ex-
traction, solution or preservation,
and which contains drugs in suf-
ficient quantity to medicate such
compounds, and which are sold
for legitimate and lawful purposes
and not as beverages"
From this statutory provision,
viewed in the light of the general
law on the subject and with the as
sistance of interpretations drawn from
the decisions of the commissioner of
Internal Revenue, the following rule
as to what substances containing al
cohol may be lawfully handled by
merchants is given as the opinion of
the county attorneys office for the
guidance of the trade:
ga given flavoring extract, essence,
tincture, perfume or remedy contain
ing alcohol may be lawfully sold pro-
vided:
(a) it contains no more alcohol
than is necessary for legitimate pur-
poses of extraction, solution or pre-
servatiOn and
(b) provided Tin the case of a
remedy it contains in each fluid
ounce dose as a whole, or in COM
natihIe continuation of ono Or more