The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-01-07
NARCOTICS & WAR
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF RE.
STRICTIONS SHOW.
Even Regular Drug Victims Have Had
TO Yield TO Conditions Affecting
EveryOne-WOrlimen Profit Decidedly
From Prohibition of Treating.

New York sun: Some OF the effects
of the war on the consumption Of drugs,
in the sense OF narcotics, have long
been known, but the benefits are only
just beginning to be clear in the coun.
tries which import opium coca leaves.
hemp and similar substances. Restric.
tions Of trade. increased cost and pro,
hibition of sales to the public are the
three main factors, and it appears that
all three have contributed to improve
conditions in large cities.
The immediate results of the Russian
anarchy was a fall of exports of Rus
sian grown narcotics and those brought
from Persia and shipped to the London
markets by way of the Norwegian
ports. Just before the cars downfall
this trade with the allies was considera-
Bile, and the Russian manager of an i'm
portant chemical works described how
the production of drugs from Russian
soil in Bessarabia and the Crmea had
increased stocks in the country and for
foreign trade. Later reports are not
available but it is most probable that
Russian supplies Of this kind will now
go to Teuton firms, their former Gus.
toners.
On the London markets the supply
Of narcotic drugs has dropped until
there is now decided scarcity 1t must
be remembered that opium, for instance,
is usually brought from India and
China, and the number of ships en-.
gagged in the traffic has been diminished
/ According to weekly statements in the
/ London trade journals, there has been
such a fall in imports that most Of the
supply, both of opium and cocaine, has
been taken off the market. Persian
/ opium, it is said, has been entirely
swept up by the government broom
I 1t is needed for the legitimate purposes
Of army surgery.
In France the same state Of things
exist There the pharmaceutical trade
is finding it difficult to keep up the
minimum supply of opium from Smyrna
and Salonica. As for coca and crude
cocaine the stocks are now said to be
reduced to the vanishing point, owing
TO difficulties of commerce.
Nv A-'llAOll anu al - 'tdl'l0 nav I
to depend upon South America for tho
coca leaves. Some Java coca is also
brought by way Of Amsterdam, but this
variations. In view OF the Importance
supply is small and subject to grea'
of both these drugs in anesthetic wal
surgery the shortage must be acutell
felt. 1t has been growing for a Ions
time, although surgeons and chemists
have been assisted by substitutes lik,
novOcaine and chloral. Lately, however
the production of chloral has been cur
tailed and the price has risen in Lon
don.
Aspirin, on the other hand, IS pro
duced and consumed in enormous quan
titles. The consumption of phenacetii
has increased in the same way, and tn
price Of both drugs has been kept dow
> by competition. They are not narcotics
but they must be considered becaus
they satisfy a craving wa
craying--Gor a sedatiye and stmulan
Opinions differ but it seems reasonabl
. TO suppose that the use of narcotics lik
opium, morphine and cocaine has d
> creased greatly as consequence of tn
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