Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-24
LEGISLATURE NEWS
ANTELOPE BILL
FAR REACHING
Measure to Systematize the
Traffic Is Ready For
Hearing

That drug addicts are resourceful
and have found substitutes for the
drugs that the sharp eye and long
! arm of the law has deprived them
! OF, and that the State Department oil
! Health is alive to the situation ana
intends to correct ii in a bill that is
now in the Senate and on which !
hearing will be had next Tuesday |
afternoon, has developed in state /
ment on the measure which the De-
partment made to-day. There had
been several inquiries concerning the !
manner in which the proposed law
would operate and the end that 1t
hoped to achieve, the statement was
made. In addition. it was learned
that the fears OF druggists that every |
person would have to procure n pre-
scription before even q headache I,
powder could be purchased, were
unfounded and that amendments
would be made to the bill before 1t
is placed on the Legislative calendars.
There has been sufficient interest
kindled in the bill that an interest
| ing hearing will be held as the pro-
testing parties against certain por-
) tions of the bill want to be sure that
the offending clauses are removed.
| The apartment makes it PLAIN that
| 1t does not mean to interfere with
| legitimate medical practice nor to
place unnecessary restrictions upon
I druggists and other persons who
handle and sell drugs.
! The Department statement or
explanation of the bill follows:
| The Federal legislation relating
10 opium and coca leaves and the
alkaloids extracted from them, prin-
cipally morphine. codeine, he "oin
writ on
on the statute books of Pennsylvania
in an anti-narcotic act passed by the
/ Legislature and approved by the
! Governor in 1917. In addition to the
Federal requirements, the State law
provides for the registration and con-
troll of drug addicts and suppression
/ OF drug peddiing under the police
! power of the State.
| The State Department of Health.
! through its Bureau of Drug Control,
mas been enforcing this law and il
/ mas been working out very we'll in it's
practical application. 4 weakness.
however, has developed in that there
are other habit inducing drugs, not
ably, hyoscyamus and its alkaloids.
cannaDls lndica, Chloral hydrate and
some of the sleep inducing coal tar
! derivatives, which are taken up as
substitutes by addicts to the drugs
already under control, and n vicious
condition is developing in some parrs
! OF the State. The purpose of the bill
! IS to place these agents under con-
lrot IN mueh ihe same way as opium.
morphine, cocaine, etc. are at pres
ent controlled as regar!s their sale
and use by addicts. And this bin
also provides that Il precautionary
label be placed on all packages con-
tanning acetanilide and similar drugs
USED In headache remedies, rheu-
matlc medicines, anti-neuralgic mix
tures' etc. 1t is not the purpose as
regards this latter class of d;ugs to
! prohibit sale, the label only being
precautionary as against the use of
! these preparations by debilitated
persons, children, the aged and those
20 Whom the drug may be depressing.
Inc measure is proposed by the
department. of Health purely IN the
interest of the public, and a hearin,
/ upon 1t will be held at an carly date:
for while it is desired to do all that
may be done to protect TIE public
health, 1t is not aimed to interfere
with legitimate medical practice
nor TO place unnecessary restrictions
upon druggists and otherp ersons
who handle and sell drugs
When it is realized that tie ,lrnr
olll OF the American people is $780,
VO0,OOO a year, and that mere are
about $4,000 active physicians in the
Union, 1t appears that there are
about four thousand dollars worth
of drugs used per physician. Anyone
knows that the greater proportion OF
this immense drug supply does not
reach the public through profession
al channels and that some of the
quantity of the drugs used is unnec
essary and harmful.
The Department of Health does
not aim at the whole drug situation.
nor is 1T trying to suppress tho So
called patent medicine, or domcstic :
medicine. The Department aims ex-
clusively to control habit inducing
drugs and those that may under GER
tain conditions be dangerously de-
pressing, the whole object being to
see that the people of the State have
these narcotic and depressing drugs
supplied when necessary; but, when
unnecessary. they are harmful and
should he controlled BY law as far