The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-28
A new HOSPITAL
To Care for and Treat. Drug
AddictS of Kansas.
Board of Administration Urges
New Institution.
ABOUT 1000 VICTIMS HERE
Present Method Is Unsatisfac-
tory Says DR.. L. NJ. Perry.
New Place To Be Independent
of State Hospitals.
ABOUT 1000 VICTIMS HERE

Establishment of new state hos
pital for care of drug addicts will be
urged before the Legislature by the
state board of administration. NAL
colin Gray, secretary of the board, to-
day estimated that the state would be
called upon to care for 1900 to 1000
drug victims. The institution would
be independent of existing state hos
pitfalls.
DR.. L. NJ Perry, superintendent of
Topeka state hospital, declares the
present method of caring for drug ad-
diets in state hospitals for the insane
has been $50 unsatisfactory that they
are no. longer admitted under this
form of commitment" Several
changes in existing laws regarding
state hospitals would also be made
under suggestions of the state hospital
head.
Must Be in State One Year.
Enactment of law making illegal
any effort to aid a hospital inmate to
escape will be asked during the COM
to be residents of the state one year
instead of six months before they can
be admitted to a state hospital will
also be asked.
The proposed new hospital for drug
addicts would doubtless be located in
some town which does not at this
time have a state institution. 1t is
known that a number of legislators IA
vor the proposed now hospital and the
bill for its creation will probably ap-
pear early in the session. Doctor
Perry in his recommendations to the
state board discussed the drug victim
situation as follows:
nSrootr,aVat IF nr,,r Addio+O
Drug addicts are another class
whom it was attempted to treat under
voluntary commitment. Our expert
ence with this class has been most I'M
satisfactory. Many of these unfor-
tunateS are willing to come to the hos
pital for treatment. and often beg for
the privilege of doing SO. They are
unsta BILE, however, and have so little
insight into the nature of their afflic-
ton that they Are prone to insist that
they are we'll very soon after they
have been taken off the drug to which
they are addicted, and cannot be in
duced to remain long enough to effect
a real cure.
THE results obtained in trying to
treat drug addicts as voluntary pa
tients have been so unsatisfactory that
they are no longer admitted under
this form of commitment. Several
such patients have been committed as
release under the provision of the vol
untary act, but we have had great diff
ficulty in holding them. They are
bright enought intellectually to man
age to escape quite frequently, and the
moral tone of most of these types has
been lowered by their habit to such
an extent that they are quite untrust-
worthy and do not scruple at any
means to obtain their liberty.
Harassed by Relatives.
we have also been greatly an
noyed and harassed by the relatives of
some of these committed addicts, who
have been quite as unreasonable and
devoid of sound judgment as the pa
tients themselves. In a few instances
it has seemed very probable that the
relatives have even assisted the pa
tients in making their escape. Such
reprehensible conduct on the part of
misguided relatives and friends is not
of very uncommon occurrence and is
not limited to this particular class of
patients. Not long since we discovered
and frustrated the plans of a woman
to smuggle into the institution tools
to be used by her husband, an ex-
ceedingly dangerous man, in effecting
his escape. At the present time this
is not an infringement of any law in
this state, and L would urge that the
next legislature be asked to pass an
act making it unlawful to assist any
ing from a state hospital for the in
sane. and providing adequate punish
ment for its violation.
A Source of Danger.
There is some question of the
legality of a commitment in lunacy in
a simple case of drug addiction, and
many commissions and juries do not
consider this class cominittable. Their
condition is often distressing and they
are a source of danger to others on
account of the tendency on the part
Of some of them to induce their asso-
ciates, particularly those of immature
age, to take up some drug habit. There
is a crying need of some satisfactory
provision for the care of these unfor-
tunates, and some special legislation
should be enacted covering the deten-
ton and treatment of anyone addicted
to the habitual use of drugs.
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