Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-14
SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER IA, 1918.
An Alarming Evil.

narcotic drugs by the people of this coun
try is one that seldom challenges publ
attention. For instance, here III WI
mington the public interest is attfacte'
occasionally by the arrest and punish
ment OF agents who peddle cocaine o
heron among local drug fends, and {
few months ago there was quite rai'
on these purveyors of the forbidden
articles. But 10 the general public thes'
incidents failed to convey a realizing
impression of the extent OF the drug-usint
evil in its general extent.
Now there is official information .
hand in the report of special investigat
ing committee Of the Treasury Depart
mcnt at Washington, which includes re
liable figures of the number of drug ad
diets actually under treatment by ply
sicians IN the various States. This report
shows that there are at least q million
and half of known drug-userS IN the
entire country. How many there may be
whose condition, physical and mental
has not become so disturbed rs TO require
medical treatment, and therefore bring
them within the purview OF official IN
vestigation may lie matter of interesting
conjecture. But the definitely known
number is most amazing.
The Investigations of the committee,
which is headed by Representative
Rainey of Illinois, showed that thou
sands of drafted men have been dis
missed from military camps after IT
was found they were drug addicts, and
that this number included many who
Systematically developed the habit af-
ter leing drafted in order TO insure
their dismissal. This condition is one
reason gwen for the urgency Of immediate
remedial legislation.
The necessary measures already
have been embodied in the new Reye-
nuc bill, the committee reported. pro-
viding for registration OF manufac-
turcrs and dealers n proprietary medi-
cines containing compounds OF mar
cofic drugs. as well rs the pure drug
The measure also would TAX these prepara-
ticns, provide means OF keeping track of
great quantities dispensed annually, and
stop the loopholes through which thou
sands Of violators are said to escape under
the Harrison Anti-Narcotic act.
Hundreds of agents Of the internal
revenue bureau, acting for the inves-
tigating committee, have reported de-
tailed information concerning consump-
ton OF morphine, cocaine, heron, or
medicines containing similar alkaloids,
and on these reports is based the estimate
that at least 100000 persons in the
United States are drug addicts, Of whom
100000 are known as such in their COM
munities, and the balance secret drug
users. Full reports are expected to show
10000 known users within the former
draft ages OF twenty-one and thirty-one
in New York alone Uncounted thousands
IN addition get their supplies clandes-
timely from dope peddlers, against
whom internal revenue agents wage
perpetual warfare.
The means employed for obtaining the
supposed exhilaration and at the be-
ginning, presumed beneficial effects of
the drug habit-sre quite interesting
Proprietary cordials. drops. and a
paregorc syrup containing a derivative Of
opium were among ths most popular in
dulgences that found the readiest sales
And the facts showed that the purchasers
INDUCED more for the drug effects than for
the supposed medicinal benefit to be de
nved
The report also says that some army
officers have been found TO be habitual
users of morphine, and to have purchased
supplies TO take to France with them
Soldiers in camp obtained narcotic drugs
illicitly from peddlers who loaf about the
outskirts of camps. Ingenious methods of
receiving 1t were reported, including
transmission IN pies, candy, or cakes,
saturating correspondence paper with
drug solution, and sending packets in
closed in knitted articles.
Reports Of the number Of known addicts
in various States, of course, place New
York in the lead, 5000 having been
tabulated in New York City alone New
Jersey has the surprising total of 2,274
Prohibition Kansas has q known total
of 1,4S5. Other prohibition States also
show up oninously, with the exception
Of Idaho, which reports only seven.
But Local Option Massachusetts has
:, ,238 cases, although their distribution
between license and no license com
is not reported. The number re-
ported in Delaware is 100.
Remedy by drastic prohibitosy law is
suggested, and Congress will be asked to
nnact such law. But that any Law can