The Washington times., 1921-10-29
WANT TAB
ON USERS
Of DRUGS
Police Officials See Remedy for
Evil In Registration Of
Dope Addicts.


Evil In Registration OF
Dope Addlcts.
Registration of drug addicts will
do more to suppress illegal traffic
In dope than any other method, ac-
eording to District police officials.
IL addicts were registered it would
be an easy matter to keep check
on them and find out where they
are obtaining their supplies, 1t Is
pointed out
Plan Meets Opposition.
On the other hand. some medical
authorities assert that registration
would not be good thing. because
the addicts would think that being
registered they had additional privi-
leses.
The COMMITTEES that made a survey
for the Secretary of the Treasury
some time ago stressed the point that
they were handicapped by the absence
of registration of drug addicts and
that most Of the figures they OBJ
sained were guesswork that could
hardly be called scientific guesswork.
In some cities, especially those that
maintain drug dispensaries, an en-
deavor is made to keep check on
Addicts by registering them under
their real names for confidential pur-
poses and under an alias for the
public. In this manner they are
ablo to keep q sort OF register. but
II is said that great many addicts
never go near the dispensary and
that. therefore. there is no complete
registration.
The detection of most peddlers IL
now brought about by the complaint
Of friends and relatives. who having
the best interests of the addict at
heart, report to the authorities who
SGT a watch on the addict and trace
the source Of his or her supply.
Hard to Clinch Cases.
Then the real work begins. for
the police maintain that arrestins
q dope peddler with sufficient in
formation on him to convict Is one
of the hardest pieces OF police work
Even after the peddler is arrested
there IL no guarantee that he Will
not 70 back to the business AS soon
as he is able to get bond. One dope
peddler recently convicted In Wash
inRton had four charges against his
name when he was finally brought
to trial.
The rapidity with which peddlcrs,
most of whom are addicts themselves.
obtain bonds has led the police to
believe that the ones they arrest are
not the real brains Of the illegal
selling, but that they are simply
working for some other person.
On account Of the secretiveness
with which every addict conducts
his personal transactions. It Is a
hard matter to trace the head OF
the ring. On several occasions In
years past. local police have been
able to land a big dope peddler
through the arrest and detention OF
some addict caught in a raid. The
addict will be suffering so much FOR
the need of the drug that he will
do almost anything to get out ana
obtain the needed drug. The police
say. however, that an addict Wilt
have to be in very bad shape before
ne will disclose the source Of his
supply. because he knows that his
action Is only making 1t harder for
him to get the drug.
Headquarters In Philadelphis.
All the leads of the dope ring point |
to Philadelphia, the local police say,
and one detective who recently went !
there with his wife to visit relatives
was surprised when he alighted from |
the train to see three well-known |
Washington dope peddlers in the sta |
ton ready to return to Washington.
The peddlers saw him almost as
soon as he saw them. and were off |
through the crowd in an instant.
The fight last night in Newport |
News, Va, between two narcotic |
agents and several alleged addicts. |
when the agents raided a dope joint"
was read with interest here today by |
officials engaged In running down |
illegal peddlers. Nearly every man
mentioned in the dispatch from the |
Virginia city was known to the mar
cotic men here.
One of the pharmacy inspectors at
tached to Police Headquarters said
that IL was not surprising that more
gun play was not INDUCED in by ad-
diets when they are arrested or fear
ing arrest, because they have no re-
gard for human life when they are full
of the drug. This is especially true
Of the cocaine addicts. The morphine
addicts. the police say. are not as
likely to put up fight as those ad-
dicted to the use Of cocaine. Most Of
users. II is said.
The fact that a person is a cocaine
addict does not, however, prove that
he will not use other drugs. the police
say. 1t simply means that they prefer
the effect produced by cocaine to that
of the other drugs, and when they are
unable to obtain their favorite drug
they will accept another.
AIRNAN AUTOIST FINED