New-York tribune., 1919-07-19
Thousands Besiege Supply
Bureau, as Doctors Still
Refuse to Honor Cards
and Issue Prescriptions
us More Are Registered
Small Number May Be Due
to misunderstanding of
Law Allowing Two Months

The rush of drug addicts for nro
scriptions and doses was accelerated
yesterday. The number of ree;srra-
tlonss however, dwindled from the rec-
ord established on the previous dav
Up to late last night 275 had regis.
tered, making a total of 5000 sincs
the bureau at 12S Prince Street onersa
three weeks ago. Registration on nv
day before yesterday reached four fa0
ures. ''s->
Officials of the Board of Health ex
pressed the. opinion that the sudden
drop might be due to the fact thar
many of the addicts believed thew wers
given only one day on which to REQ.
lster. AS a matter of fact, a period
OF two months is allowed. More than
100 exemptions have been grained 40" ="
the aged, the sick and the bedridden
by the State Narcotic Commission
There was more distress amonp m.
addlcts yesterday as a result Of the
continued refusal of physicians and
druggists to have anything to do with
them. One addict said he had seen
card hung in a doctors window
warning drug patients that he would
not attend them. The general sentiment
IN the medical profession at the mo-
ment is summed up in: Hands off
the addict"
Copeland Explains Law
DR.. Royal S. Copeland, Commissioner
of Health, pointed out the falacy of this
position last night. The representative
OF delegation of young physicians
waited upon him yesterday and he went
over the regulations with them in de-
tail and emphasized the following rules
for all doctors to follow:
Cd Take the registration and dosage
card from the addict and verify idcnti-
fitaticn.
% Make careful physical exa,ni-
nation to determine that the applicant
actually is an addict.
90 Decide on the initial dosage.
The Board of Health has fixed fifteen
grains as the daily maximum, but there
is no hard and fast ruling about it, The
physician is expected to use his judg-
ment in each case. A steady reduction
invariably must be shown.
Conference Held Yesterday
Representatives of large string Of
drug stores throughout the city held
conference with the Health Commits
sioner yesterday and told him frankly
that their disposition was to stop the
sale of narcotics entirely. He pointed
out that this step would be a great
mistake and urged them to continue
filling. prescriptions for addcts VINO
were registered, or else to handle the
matter geographically and designate
certain drug stores to take care of the
needs of each section of the city.
tentative agreement was reached sub
of ba
tives of other influential drug stores.
1t was agreed, however, to keep on
filling prescriptions for another month
at any rate. A notice will be hung in
the windows of all drug stores stating
that narcotics can be secured from the
Board Of Health. Furthermore, the
druggists agreed to fix prices at cost.
DR.. Copeland pointed out that five
cents grain for morphine and heroin
would be a reasonable figure. The
Board of Health sells both for three
and half cents, or at less than cost.
Our Bureau Besieged
While the registration bureau at 1913
Prince Street had only 275 visitors
yesterday, the supply bureau on Worth
Street was literally besieged. Hours
before it opened yesterday morning
sufferers who were unable to get their
usual supply stood in line in the pour
ing ram, and after it was opened doors
had to be barred to check the impetus
of the insistent and desperate addicts.
A double line serpentined right around
the building, in addition to the crowd
inside. By late last night fully a
thousand had been supplied with the
narcotics they could not get elsewhere.
Of the 5000 addicts who have regis
tered at the Prince Street bureau. less
than 20 per cent are women. Most Of
these are married. Among the men
there is heavy percentage of laborers,
as we'll as business and professional
men. a Triblne reporter went through
the routine of being registered yester-
day. for the purpose Of finding out to
what degree privacy is observed There
was a brief categorical examination m
O quiet room, where it was impossible
to hear what was being said at the
next table. Not more than half a
names were mentioned. The registrant
wrote his own name so that it should
not be repeated.
1t is not expected that more than
10000 of New York's 100000 addicts
viii register. DR.. Copeland said yes
terday that his department was able to
trace only Is per cent OF the narcotics
imported into the city each year. winch !
indicated that So per cent was beng
distributed clandestinely.
Bed-ridden Are Exempt
Exemptions are being granted IN
Room 604, Hall of Records. at the dis.
cretion of Walter r. Herrick, head OF
the State Narcotic Commission, and
Miss Sara Graham Mulhall, deputy
commissioner. The law requires that
cnly the "bed-ridden, the crippled or
very aged" may be exempt from regis
tering, but hundreds of requests are
coming in, with all manner Of excuses
The Federal grand jury yesterday
indicted Louis Weiss, proprietor OF
drugstore at 1O3th Street and Amster-
dam Avenue; Benjamin Berkowitz, n's /
clerk, and three drug addcts for vio-
lation of the Harrison law. When the
Federal agents sought to arrest Helen
Warren. OF Crcsskill, n. j., one Of the
three addicts, she ran to the roof and
thrcetsned to jump OF. The help o.
the local fire department was requls!-
toned, and after they had placed seal
ing ladders to the roof and spread nets
to catch the woman, she changed heI
mind and surrendered tamely
An organization of doctors, calling
itself the American Medical Assocla-
ton. was formed yesterday at the
Broadway Central Hotel for the pur-
pose of making study Of drug aGdic-
ton, in order TO clear up the confu'
sion which is said to exist between the