The Washington times., 1921-10-23
USE Of COCAINE
|SON|NCREASE,
POLICE ASSERT.
PeddIers Make Big Profits Often
as Side Line to Bootleg
ging Liquor.
DEALERS HARD TO TRACE
More Than 100 Arrests in Past
Year, But Courts Slow to
Reach Cases.

OF police officials engaged In running
down the traffickers In the District.
The marked increase is noted among
the colored residents Of the city, 1t is
said.
There are no large peddlers OF the
dope" In the city and the persons
arrested during the year were small
dealers, most Of whom were users Of
the drug themselves. The startling
statement is made that most OF the
addicts are young persons, and II Is
among this class Of persons that the
habit is growing.
During the past year the police made
1872 arrests for viola tion of the narcotic
law and at present time there are
sixty persons awaiting trial for viola.
tions OF the law, according to police
records.
While the use of cocaine is growing
at an alarming rate, the use of NOR
phine and heroin is also on the in
crease but not as great as the other
drug. The peddlers of the drug in
Washington, in many cases, also are
bootleggers, and the drugs are SNUG
gled into Washington from Baltimore
and Philadelphia by the rum runners,
who make approximately $500 every
time they bring a box Of the drug into
the city.
H. 1000 Addicts In ID. G.
Figures on the number Of drug
addicts in the District would he
mostly guesswork, officials claim.
and their estimate Is that 1900 would
not be an exaggeration. About two
years ago, the narcotic division of
the Internal Revenue Bureau sent
out a questionable to every physi-
clan. druggist and others who han.
died drugs or aided in the suppress
sion of the illegal traffic and re-
ceived replies from az per cent of
the persons whom they. circularized.
These replies showed that 4i3 per.
sons in the District were drug ad-
diets. The officials estimated that
fhis would bring the total drug ad-
diets in the District up to LOIS II
everyone had replied to the query.
In addition to this the police now
add about 1000 to take care Of the
number that would not come under
the supervision Of the physicians.
This thousand, 1t Is said. Is the
menace. to the city. They take and
get the dope whenever they can and
will not stop at any measure to OBJ
tain the desired drug.
The apprehension of Illicit ped
dlers of dope is one of the hardest
Jobs the Washington police have TO
cope with, 1t was admitted yester-
day by officials. 1t Is seldom that
an addict will give away the source
of his supply, because he knows
that once 1t is cut off he may have
great trouble in procuring tbs needed
solace when he requires 1t. Also.
the officials say. there iy not an
other class OF people with whom they |
hat L. 4.
dope fiend. The dope fiend will |
adopt the most unlocked for and
most unusual method to obtain the
drug and evade detection. and the
police are often at their wits end
to devise a scheme to obtain infor-
nation and arrest the peddler.
Difficult to Trace. /
On account of this characteristic
OF the dope fiend, the police have
been compelled to confine their ef-
forts to the poorer class of the city
almost exclusively. They often get
rumors of the wide use of drugs
among the better class, but they are
always unable to obtain the neces-
sary information that will put a
stop to the use.
up In the apartment houses"
said one of the men engaged in run
ming down the illegal traffic, there
Is great deal of dope using going
on, but we have seldom been able to
obtain information that would lead
us to the source of supply"
Most of the information that
comes to the officers engaged in run
ming down the drug traffickers is
from friends or relatives of the ad-
iicts, and from intercepted mail to
the suspected peddlers.
The dnna fiapda haUa Ia .
" their own. and 1t is seldom that ,
hey refer to the drugs by their
proper technical name. The cocaine
,ddicts designate their favorite drug
~ Happy Dust" and "Snow," while
Morphine is commonly known among
hem as Mother" Heroin is us
Ially referred to as "H," in all drug
and correspondence
lmong the addicts.
While cocaine Is the drug most
ised, Il Is said that the addicts.
when unable to procure their favorite
lope. will purchase any substitute
hat is available.
Methods Of Peddlers.
Cocaine usually is sold in decks"
or 81 and 81 a deck. When an
.ddict obtains a supply greater than
lis immediate needs he usually ped
les Il among his less fortunate
,rethren. Many of them will also
plit the decks-that is when they !
ret a deck that is a large one they /,
viii make two decks out of II by 4
ividing II and selling part Of It as
deck. The deck contains about
ne grain and is put up very much
n the same manner as seidlitZ ,
,owder. The peddlers will start out )
n the morning with as many as s
fifty decks in their possession, sc. =
reted in all sorts of unimaginable :
laces for fear of detection. ,
The one great obstacle In the way OF
leaning Washington of the drug ad. .
let's In the crowded condition OF the
ourts, according to the officers en-
aged In the suppression of the traf.
Ic. In many instances they have I
rrested peddlers and addicts and
rhile these persons are out on bond
waiting trial they have been arrested
gain for the same offense. In one
ase there were four charges against
man when he was finally brought
, trial