The sun., 1919-07-28
Reports From Various Parts Of
State Show That Little Is
Being Done.
$685. 200 FAR FROM ENOUGH
Health Authorities in Many
Cities Inactive Because They
Have No Orders.

city II set torth by reports from the
health officials OF various counties
Outside Greater New York city the anti
narcotic drug law 10 almost wholly In
operative because the Legislature passing
the act failed to appropriate the money
necessary for fits administration.
The act carried an appropriation Of
s2t.o00-just about enough to estab-
iish and maintain for a year tie requi-
site executive offices and force in Albany.
As a result the business Of registering
drug addicts has been under way In
New York city alone. And 1t would not
have been undertaken here had not
Health Commissioner Copeland ex-
tended his activities and reapportioned
his appropriation to cover the work.
From a number OF the counties up
State THE SUN has received reports
upon whatever Efforts have been made
to curb the dope traffic. The result
shows that such activities have been all
most negligible that 1t Is necessary only
for drug traflckers to step over the city
boundaries to do business; that such
being the case there 10 not the most
remote chance OF all Of this citys
estimated 100000 dope tends registering
at the Prince street bureau and that thu
drug pedlers and purchasers have only
to locate their several rendezvous In
sequestered places where they may keep
lookout for Federal agents who seek to
enforce the national drug laws.
.s Health OmciaIs Inactive.
Some of the kilograms from up State
indicate that the health authorities have
done nothing because they have not had
my orders from Walter r. Herrick.
Commissioner OF the State Department
Of Narcotic Drug Control Others say
that they have not had any reports
from any doctors In their bailiwiclks and
still others declare that they are quite
satisfied that their counties are free
from drug addicts because they have
never heard of the presence OF any such
folks.
As a matter CT fact not one report IN
dicates that any systematic effort has
been made to acquire q definite knowl-
edge Of drug traffic and consumption In
any locality outside the greater city.
And this In spite of the fact that the
Whitney drug law was heralded As the
most drastic and searching anti-narcotic
leeislation ever adopted
The State Department Of Drug Con-
troll. knowing that there was not sufi-
Client money available to prosecute all
over the State the same campaign that
DR.. Copeland is heading here. announced
that they would have to depend upon
the professional honor of doctors to re-
port to the health authorities OF their
respective counties all drug addicts they
knew or administer to.
The SUNS information indicates either
that the drug traffic is limited almost
entirely to New York city or that the
plan to depend upon private physicians
Is q poor sone. ss.s sssa.ss '. ssss Assssss
For instance. physicians and druggists
Of Poughkeepsie say their sole knowledge
of the Whitney law has been CLEANED
from the newspaper stories of the work
being done in New York city. They
claim that DR.. II. d. Palliser. Pough-
keepsie's Health Officer, has not ap-
prised them OF any new orders from the
State Department of Narcotic Drug Con-
troll. The druggists and physicians all
over Duchess county say the same
thing Nothing has been done there.
From Auburn comes the following re-
port:
although the Health Department nero
knows of the presence Of drug addicts
nothing has been done to register these
people. Health Officer eawyer says that
none Of our physicians has sent in any
names as yet. but that ne expects to hear
from some of them soon. Several of
this city's physicians conferred with Dr.
Sawyer on July "a. and they endeavored
TO formulate a policy by which to force
compliance with the Whitney law in
third class cities.
Some Wealthy Addicts.
There probably are 100 addicts IN
Auburn alone, including persons of
wealth and influence The lAtter's ply
sicians are reluctant to report them be-
cause Of the severity OF the repatriation
conditions"
While thu Auburn report does not
specify the alleged severity" of the
registration conditions, the inference Is
taken that tho wealthy addicts do not
want their supply cut down nor do they
nor those who supply their particular
brands of dope desire to be limited by
dosage card specifications.
The situation In Syracuse appears to
be more hopeful There the city health
authorities and the private physicians
have got together and doctors are regis
tering drug addicts and forwarding the
names to the authorities. Some OF SYRIA
cuse's physicians have announced that
they Will not prescribe for any addict
Others are more lenient. The registra-
tion work In that city Is Of haphazard
variety, but the responsibility for such
methods rests upon the State and not
upon the local health authorities.
Virtually every county makes the
plea that II Jacks the facilities neces-
sary to the treatment OF addicts. This
condition does not obtain, however, in
Monroe county. OF which Rochester is
the seat OF government From Roch-
ester a situation almost parallel to that
found In Syracuse is reported Will
lam E. Porter superintendent of the
Monroe County Hospital, says no add
tional names of addicts have been
added to his regular list since the
whitney law became operative. He
says his hospital has every facility for
the treatment OF drug addiction, and
no additional expense will accrue to
the State to furnish disqualification for
addicts In his county.
DR.. George II. Goler. Health Ofiicer
Of Rochester. declared himself quite
sanguine OF the success Of his plan to
register drug addicts through private
returns from the city and county doc
tors. He is of the opinion. however,
that Monroe county's quota of addicts
relatively is small.
Idle in Warren. County.
There are no health authorities in
Warren county. Doctors there are do
ing nothing to administer the Whitney
law.
Tioga county. with its population OF
rs 900. claims to have no more than
twenty addicts. The names of these
patients will DO sent TO Commissioner
Hsrrfck. This county reports that II
Intends enforcing the law n II can.
From Batavia THE Sun receives the
Foilowine intorma ION