The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-26
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
FREDERIC !. HARKIN. Director,
washington. .. C
NEEDED: AN ANTI-DopE LEAGUE
wash,ngtan. p. G.


forces. which conducted the campaign
for national prohibition. now turn
their attention to the traffic in habit
forming drugs is the suggestion made
| by some students of drug addiction In
| this country.
There are more than a million drug
addicts in the United States; drug adj
diction is steadily increasing; the IL
Iicit drug sellers have national or
ganization and are making enormous
profits; native born Americans make
| up most of the army of drug addicts;
and the United States probably leads
| the world in the per capits consump-
ton of opium and cocaine-these are
| tfe leading facts with regard to this
| traffic which were brought out by the
| investigating committee appointed by
the secretary of the treasury.
The committees investigation fur
Their showed that the present federal
law is not curbing the traffic; that
most of the state and municipal gov
ernments are doing nothing effectual
against it, and that outside OF the
| larger cities there is no realization,
| either among officials or on the part
| of the public, of the extent and dam
| ger of drug addiction in this country.
Here, surely, is a situation which
/ calls for a campaign-Sof propaganda
| and education, such as that which put
over the prohibition amendment. Pub
| lie sentiment must be aroused before
anything can be accomplished. And
| whereas prohibition is at best de-
batable measure, there is no question
| or argument about the damage done
| by habit-forming drugs, They destroy
| life, create vice and crime, incapaci-
tate workers, and there is no such
| thing as habitually using them with
safety or in moderation.
fal -
eotic drug over a period of thirty
| days, in the case of very susceptible
! individual for ten days, is in grave
! danger of becoming an addict. And
when addiction has been established,
| it is impossible for the individual to
| discontinue the use of the drug with
out outside assistance" says the report
of the treasury committee.
| This parag graph surely should be
posted in large letters where every-
one can read it. 1t destroys the illu-
! sion that only the weak and the de-
| generate are in danger from drug ad-
! diction. 1t means that anyone may ac-
quire habit at the hands of a care
less or INSCRIPTIONS physician, which
he cannot possibly throw off of his
own unaided will.
| The committee also asserts that there
is no such thing as using the narcotic
drugs without damage to physical and
mental health. The physical condition
| of the drug addict is now recognized
by physicians as definitely diseased
state, in which the respiratory organs,
heart and kidneys are affected. The
drug addict will almost invariably re-
sort to any crime which is necessary
to obtain the drug. Complete insan-
ity is often the ultimate effect.
These facts show plainly that the
habit-forming narcotics are drugs
from which a. nation can be saved
only by keeping them out of the
country. China recognized this fact
long ago and acted upon 1t. But the
United States is permitting a large
Illicit traffic in these drugs to go on.
and an equally large amount to be
dispensed in the form of patent medi-
cines ~and by physicians, much of
which reaches addicts.
The control of the trade through So
called legitimate channels is a matter
of education and of federal, state and
municipal legislation. The Eecently
amended Harrison law is carefully
considered step toward federal control
i of the traffic, and New York City is
making good progress in working out
the municipal problem.
But the hard fact of the situation is
that over half of the enormous guam
tity of opium consumed in this coun-
try (enough to give every man, woman
and child &c doses q YEAR, is snug
gled over the borders and distributed
by illicit peddlers. The bookkeeping OF
liquor which fills so much space in
the papers, is a comparatively harms
less business compared to this opium
smuggling trade with its interna tional
organization and its million helpless
customers, whom it is killing by slow
poison.
The largest part of this Struggled
dope comes across the long Mexican
border. The internal revenue office
| fl wi
its present force. Opium crosses the
} line in automobiles and on pack
burros in enormous quantities.
The Canadian border is the next
, most important port of entry for dope
There canoes and other small Graf
are often used. On both the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts opium is landed il
| considerable quantities in small Graf
that run the breakers. or use little
wilderness harbors.
Smuggling the opium into the coun
try is probably the easiest part of the
business. Selling it is more difficult
| Taxicab drivers, servants, porters
lunch room helpers. solicitors, mes
sengers, pool room employees, laundry.
men and gamblers are given by the
police of various cities as the occu
! pational types that most often act al
distributors. But a great variety O.
ingenious methods are used to dis
, tribute the Illicit goods. walking
sticks with hollow handles have beer
used so often that they are no longel
, considered safe by the -peddlers. 4
! cripple successfully sold Opium which
, he carried in the pads on the arm
; rests of his crutches. A well-dresset
|, and refined-looking woman sole
! opium in peanuts from which tn,
kernel had been removed. Postcard
! with raised lettering have been fount
to contain considerable quantities o
1 dope. and it has been shipped unde
/, stamps affixed to letters Opium ha
been baked into pies and substitute,
I for the works of watches. 1t has heel
= carried in glass eye, and the hum
I of bunch back has been found t
t contain hundreds of dollars worth O
it. This system Of distribution. a
: above stated. is organized, and gen
j orally speaking it works well. Their