The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-15
OPIUM TRAFFIC
GREATEST IN
UNITEDSTATES
PROHIBITION IS NAMED AS THE
PRINCIPAL CAUSE OF ALARM
ING INCREASE INVESTIGATOR
REPORT.
BY GEORGE II. MANNING.

can people use from ten to Sixty |
times as much opium per capita as |
the people OF any other country in |
the world and its use in the United !!
States is increasing from year to |
year, it is declared in the report of a |
special committee which thorougn.y |
Investigated the subject for the s1S- |
rotary of the treasury. |
Prohibition is named as the prtnci- |
pal cause of the increase of the use |
OF habit-forming drugs, by the chiefs |
of police, who reported to the special |
committee
The use Of dope is showing re- |
markable increases IN the big cities |
like New York, Philadelphia and Chi
cago, while decreases are reported in /
the small towns and in the rural dis. |
tricts.
The traffic in opium and cocaine is |
now valued at well over $4,000, 900 |
year, perhaps two or three times |
that amount These figures apply |
only to the legitimate traffic in these |
drugs. They do not take into account |
the immense so-called underground |
traffic" estimated to be much larger /!
than the legitimate trade. This 'un-
foreground traffic Is in the hands of \
so-called dope peddlers,' who appear |
to have a national organization for |
producing and disposing Of their sup |
plies" says the committee report It |
is believed that most OF this illegiti- |
mate supply is smuggled in from |
Mexico and Canada and some is /
brought in at the Pacific and Atlantic /
ports from the Orient and Europe.
The health officer of New York /
City reported there were 100000
habitual users OF opium, morphine.
heroin and cocaine in Greater New
York, or about two in each 100 of
total population.
1t is estimated there are over L.
100000 drug victims in the United
States.
Reports made to the special COM
mittee by physicians show they have Il
237, 655 drug addicts under treatment
in the United States and it is likely
this represents only a small percent
age of the total number.
The number of drug addicts re-
ported by physicians in other states
are: Alabama, 1850; Connecticut,
LAO; Delaware, 395; Florida, 3,425;
Mississippi 4,S73; New Jersey, $500;
Pennsylvania, 1o,202, and Virginia. L,
1891.
Some of the other important points :,
in the report Of the special committee
are:
1. The average yearly consumption
of opium from 1910 to 1915 was 49,
DAB pounds, valued at $1S,S41,720, and
coca leaves, 1,O48, $50 pounds, valued
at 81 a pound; a total value of over
$40, 600. 900.
2. Most OF the drug addicts OBJ
tain their supplies from the dope |
peddlers," whose trade has increased
to enormous proportions in the past
few years.
8. While the population of the
United States in 1910 was two and a
half times as great in 1860, the year
cocaine was first introduced into this
country, the amount of opium cum
stunned is at present more than five
times as great as in 1850.
4. Enough opium is imported an
nually into the United States to sup
ply SO one-grain doses for each man,
woman and child in the country.
OF the replies made by the chiefs of
police Of the cities to a questianaire
sent out by the special committee "a
cities reported an increase in mar |
cotic drug addiction, while 2s7 cities !
reported a decrease. The increases |
reported were from big cities like
New York, Philadelphia, Chicago.
Boston, Baltimore. San Francisco and
st. Louis, while the decreases oc-
CURED IN the STnaIier cities. l.,
The chiefs of police named pro- l.
hibition as the principal cause for the
increase in drug addiction; associa-
ton with other drug addicts is named
as the second greatest contributing
cause; free use Of drugs by physicians
as the third and the creation of adj
diets BY vendors because of the large
profits obtained, as the fourth.
With respect to the order of fire.
quency in which the different drugs ,
were used, the reported as follows: :.
Morphine, cocaine. heroin. opium, ,
laudanum, paregoric and codeine.
The health and police officials Of :
the twenty following cities report in !
creases in the number OF addicts: New !,
York City, Harrisburg. Pa, Whining
ton, DEL San Francisco. Macon,
Louisville, BroclSton, Detroit, Kansas ,
City, Elmira, Utica, Yonkers. Char +.
lotte, Muskogee, Okla. Oklahoma City, :
Okla, Toledo. Portland. Ore. Chatta- !
nooga, Knoxville and Nashville.
Those who have made a study OF !,
drug addiction believe that the num-
Der of drug users will greatly increase
as soon as the prohibition laws are
enforced. They base this belief on the :,
theory that drinkers will seek a sub
stitute for alcohol and that the ;
opiates and cocaine will be found !
most satisfactory for this purpose
These opinions are supported by the
fact that in the southern states. !,
where prohibition has been in effect :
some years. the sale of narcotic drugs ;
has increased. an especially the sale !,
Of such exempt preparations as Bate
mans Drops. Godfrey's Cordial and
paregoric, which contain habit-for1n- =
ing drugs ;
The statistics compiled by the COM