The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-21
dope" ADDCTS HERE
VETERAN DRUG USERS
HAVE TAKEN SHOTS" FOR
YEARS.
Government Reports Show
Use of Narcotics Is on
Increase,

The office of United States Revenue
Inspector George Draper was again
flooded with dope fiends" Friday
afternoon making their usual plea.
1t seems that a number of them re-
ported at the clinic in the city hall
Friday morning and were registered
and sent away without any treat
ment. The result was that they went
to the federal inspectors office seek
ing aid. However, Mr.. Draper was
unable to be of any assistance TO
them, as the dispensary for the al
diets had been closed in the munich
pal building and strict instructions
given out not to reopen again until
$3.50 o'clock.
out of the office filed with addicts
there wasn't one who had not been
on the dope trail" for less than
seven years, and several declared
that they had been addicts for thir-
teen and fourteen. years, using from
ten to twenty grains a day.
There wasn't an addict present who
was asked to talk about his expe-
riences on the "traif' who did not
declare that he or she was willing to
go to an institution or a sanitarium
and take treatment. They realized
that they couldn't give up the use
of narcotic drugs without aid. When
this question of being treated came
up, bright-e eyed young man stepped
forward and said: yes, will go this
minute to a sanitarium or some place
of confinement and receive treatment
If you will take me. / want to give
this dope business up, and with help
I believe / can" He had been using
narcotics for about seven years and
said that a dope fiend was Just like
a drunkard, for the reason that just
as long as the drunkard could obtain
all the whisky he wanted he was go
ing to get it, and the same was true
regarding narcotic drugs.
Danger Of Drugs.
The results of the investigating
committee appointed by the United
States government ito look into the
situation of addicts show that any
one repeatedly taking a narcotic drug
over q, period of thirty days, or, In
the case Of a very susceptible 1ndi-
vidual, for ten days. Is in grave dan
ger of becoming an addict. The re-
port of the investigators further
shows that when addiction has been
established, II Is impossible for the
individual to discontinue the use OF
the drug without outside assistance
The report of the government also
shows that out of twenty cities In
the United States with an aggregate
population of approximately 10000
600 people the use of narcotic drugs
has been on the increase. Included
in this list are Chattanooga, Knox
VILE, Nashville. Macon, Kansas City
Mo-; Louisville, KY, and San Fran
cisco, Cal The large majority OF
addicts of all ages was reported as
using morphine or opium.
It Is thought that the plan that
has been adopted by the city health
department will greatly help the
dope" situation In Chattanooga
One of the addicts at Mr.. Diapers
Office Friday said that she had sew
eral children. She was asked If they
used dope too. She quickly answered
in the negative and said that she
would rather see each of them killed
than to have them take up the use
of narcotic drugs.
One of the dope fiends who called
for treatment was a woman 70 years
old, who had been drug addict
practically all her life.
It is understood that the drug ad-
diets have been flooding the clinic at
the city hall and that 1t has been
impossible for the physician in charge
to treat all Of them during the hours
the clinic Is open. One of the ad-
diets who called at Mr.. Diapers Of
fee Friday, when told that she would
have to wait until $3.50 in the after
noon to receive a dose, made an eff
fort to jump out of the window.