The Washington times., 1921-11-03
HAS
PLAN To CHECK
OPIUM TRAFFIC
Wants Importation Cut and
Drug Distributed Through
Authorized Dispensaries.
By DIR. ROYAL y. COPELAND.
Health officer. New York City.


NEW YORK. Nov. 3.-If ! owned
newspaper, II seems to me ! should
run an editorial every day on the
evil OF narcotic drugs and the ter
rible effects OF drug addiction.
Hardly day passes but dis
patch from some city in some part
OF the world tells OF the growth OF
this deadly habit.
The importation OF opium into this
country is about three-quarters OF
million pounds annually. This
means that for every man, woman
and child in America there Ia I'M.
ported more than forty grains or
this dangerous drug. No other civil
lied country imports more than
three grains per capita. We are
using a dozen times as much opium
as are the citizens OF any other
land
I'VE have laws designed TO con.
troll the distribution and use OF
habit forming drugs" you naturally
say. why do they not curb the
evil?"
International Business.
These laws do not work. because
the opium business is an interna'
tional affair. 1t cannot be controlled
by one country alone. There was
conference and agreement, known
as The Hague Convention" intend
ed TO regulate the opium evil. That
has failed for many reasons. But
by very simple procedure the
United States and Canada could end
the whole devilish traffic. so far as
they are concerned.
Here is a plan which would surely
succeed:
Let each country determine the
amount Of opium needed for the le-
gitimate use Of the medical profess
sion. This would be an arbitrary
estimate, OF course, and the amount
might not be hit upon accurately at
first However, that Is unimport
ant, because, II necessary. the fig.
ures could be changed from time
to time.
Off.hand. should say the United
States should import not to exceed
seventy thousand pounds. and Can
ada eight or ten thousand pounds OF
opium.
Let each country have it's quota of
opium made into morphine and such
other opium derivatives as are OF
recognized medical value. This
should be done under Government
oversight
Dispensary System Urged.
Let opium and its derivatives be
sold only in recognized establish
ments, as liquor is dispensed by
legitimate druggists in the United
States. and as 1t is sold by govern
ment agencies in the Province OF
Quebec. This would make available
to the medical profession such
amounts of opium as are essential to
the honest practice of medicine
Some simple regulations should be
made to insure the good faith of all
concerned.
Having provided for their own
sick. let the United States and Can
ada absolutely prohibit the exporta.
tion of opium, morphine and all
others of it's derivatives.
This would end the smuggling
into the United States of large
quantities OF narcotics now shipped
from the United States to Canada
and other countries. but secretly
brought back into the United States.
Such smuggled drugs. in large guam
titles. are now sold clandestinely
on the streets OF New York and
other cities. Large amounts of
american morphine are used in
Canadian cities.
Until the importation and manu-
facture of these terrible poisons are
regulated and until expectation Is
prohibited, the evil will go its wicked
way. destroying thousands of young
men and women, boys and girls,
helpless victims of the most deadly
Of all the vices Of modern times.
Sale Must BE Stopped.
Doctors may wrangle about the
best method of treating drug addic.
ton, police departments may work
overtime ferreting out offenders
against the laws, the courts may be
clogged with drug cases, and the
jails may be crowded with the pitiful
victims Of the traffic but nothing
will avail until the clandestine sale
Of opium and morphine is stopped
When the stuff cannot he had. drug
addiction is wiped out as a matter
of course.
Let us end the whole misera bile
business, as I believe can be done,
by this simple enactment of law
At one stroke the Congress Of the
United States and the Parliament Of
the Dominion Of Canada can epd