Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-13
PRESCRIPTIONS
FOR MEDICAL
WHISKY LEGAL
Enforcement Officer Tells
Druggists Of Workings
of Law.

Filling a prescription for medicinal
whiskey is just as legitimate a business
as filling a prescription for any medi'
cine. O. H. p. Shelley. federal prOhibi-
ton director for Montana. told dele
gates attending the thirty-second an
nuai meeting of the Montana State
Pharmaceutical association in session
here. Business sessions of the con-
vention closed Wednesday morning fol-
selection of Billings for the next an
nual meeting.
J. n. Starbuck of Waller was elected
president. Other officers are: Miss
A. n. Walter, Sheridan, first vice pres
ident: Charles Quist, Wisdom, second
vice president; B. e. Lapeyre, Great
Falls. third vice president; J. N. Tai
bott. Manhattan, treasurer, and j. A
Riedel, Boulder, secretary.
Five candidates for appointment by
the governor to the state board OF
pharmacy were recommended by the
convention. They are: j. N. Starbuck,
Waller; Charles J. Chapple. Billings;
G. Schuehle, Jr., Helena: J.. L. Kraker,
Bozeman, and f. w. Converse, Ana
conda.
Compliments druggists
Prohibition Director Shelley told the
convention that the office Of prohibi-
ton enforcement officer is new and
regulations governing the sale of medic
inal liquors must of necessity be
changed from time to time Is more
practical ways of enforcing the law de-
velop. He complimented the druggists
of the state for the manne in which
they are handling liquors for non-bev-
erage purposes, saying that not more
than two druggists in the state are
under suspicion for violating the Jaw.
He is making every effort, he said,
to cut red tape in the office and takes
it upon himself to interpret many of
the treasury department regulations in
terms that pharmacists can easily I'M
understand.
Use horse sense in administering
the law" he urged. when you are in
doubt or when you have some fault to
find with the service of my department,
/ will appreciate your writing M and
marking the letter personal My
predecessor had the duties of enforce
ment officer only one month before
~relinquishing the office. and l have an
entirely new office force, so it is tax
ing a little time to get the work adj
justed."
280 Doctors Have Permits
Two hundred and thirty druggists of
the state have permits to sell medicinal
liquors at retail. Mr.. Shelley said.
There are $50 doctors who have per-
mits to issue prescriptions. Other per-
mits held in the state include % manu-
featuring druggists, four wholesale
druggists. 2S dentists, IS hospitals and
six breweries.
An ''emregency'' prescription can be
used for emergency only-that is, when
the physician has need to issue a pre-
scription for medicinal purposes and
hasn't the government form at hand,
Mr.. Shelley said. The emergency pre-
scription must give all the information
required on the regular form and must
have the word emergency" written
across the face of it, he pointed out,
and the doctor must replace it with
one written in form as soon as possible.
There can be no excuse for a patient
presenting IN emergency prescription
TO a druggist several days after the
doctor wrote it, he said. He warned
them to use precautiOn in filling
emergency prescriptions.
Ninety per cent of the doctors of
Montana are living up to the prescrip-
ton law. the prohibition officer said.
and pharmacists were asked TO report
to him physicians who abused the use
of permits.
In reply to Secretary J. A. Riedel's
query as to what was to be done with
an emergency prescription when it had
been replaced by one written in form.
Mr.. Shelley said it should be cancelled
and returned to the doctor.
Basic Permit Governs
Replying to President +. A. Woeh-
ner's question as to whether there is
any limit to the amount of medicinal
liquor a retail druggist may purchase.
the prohibition director said that q
druggist can buy each quarter only the
amount specified in his basic permit.
Mr.. Shelley said he believed that the
basic permits for wholesale druggists
in the state should be increased as the
total amount possible to be obtained
through wholesalers in the state is less
than the legitimate demands of retail
erS.
Mr.. Shelley said he believed there
should be a differentiation between doc
tors who have a large practice and
those h have small practice.
Resolutions were adopted urging the
state board of education and the pres
ident of the Montana university to pro-
vide adequate quarters and equipment
for the state school of pharmacy. and
indorsing a four-year course in phar-
macy at the school. leading to the de-
gree of bachelor of science in phar-
macy. Alex F. Peterson of Missoula,
chairman of the executive committee.
was instructed to present the ~resolu-
tons to the board of education in per-