Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-13
prua Addlcts and Represslve Laws

To the Editor Of tie Evening Public Ledger:
Sir-A recently published article en-
old time opium joints in New York
mentions the one at % Crosby street as
among the best known of these places
forty wears ago in this city. clip
ming from the Sun. July 90. 1855. shows
the existence also of another of these
places nj J3 Crosby street. 1t was from
the latter place and upon the date men
toned ir the clipping from the sun that
took man unconscious and dying
from opium poisoning, as it was sup
posed, to one of the city hospitals, where
| was serving As an ambulance sur
geon. The report made by Deputy Cor
oner Jenkins, aftcrward health officer
of the port. showed that the man died
from the action of opium on his kid
neys. At the time DR.. jenkins is re-
ported as saying that he never heard
of n death from opium poisoning from
opium smoking.
In connection with this record Of
rare fatality from opium smoking. l
would like to call attention to another
statement found in the article on old
time opium joints and opium smoking in
this city.
This is n announcement which
IIbuSll " lHt tlt'lINI'Ii VI
every member of the newly formed
League for Drug Control. which is the
latest and. it is to be hoped. the last
religious. legal. lay and political body
organized to solve the narcotic drug
problem without consideration or study
either of the scientific or the medical
side Of this question.
The statement follows:
"Authorities have also issued another
statement, in which it is plain that a
newly passed law against drugs will
be used as lever to turn the addicts
upside down as quickly as prohibition
closed the saloons. At the present mo-
ment the eyes of the world are focused
upon America as the mecca to dump
anything that will intoxicatc. stmu-
late and dissipatc. from Spanish co.
gnac Il never heard of that drink be-
fore, but they are getting $40 n quart
for it, to haShiSh. the most danger
Gus drug known to the medical world.
| Every fireman. steward and sailor
whose ship enters this port and who
wants to make bit of spending money
| is on the job.
Forty to forty-fve years ago there
was no law against opium smoking.
You could drop into any of the joints
| 'Ilul 'NiSi'h III lioS' anu etI u
shell of pure golden ley yunc. the hest
brand q Opium >-----::--.su u..I, for haIs
dollar. Now here is strange fact
about the traffic. When the resorts
were running wide open and the drugs
were freely dispensed the public did
not seem TO take to them extensively.
Whereas America today is the leading
| drug using country Of the world. Lon
don has been using drugs for years. but
those who indulge are the l.a~CGrS and
ori"ntalS confined to the East India
| docks. This small number j. due to the
fact that the British have conducted
their campaign quietly. The hurrah
boys methods in use here appear TO
have created public interest and new
| customers.
The hurrah boys methods mentioned
In this article are based on the princi :.
pie that it pays to advertise Il product
nc matter what the consequence to the
public In general. Not long ago it was
stated at Il meeting of the New York
Bar Association. where lawyers. Grim
!nologistS and Federal officials were dis
cuSsing drug addiction. that we would
never have had drug law il We had not
previously had remedy for what It's
promoter ignorantly called th" drug
habit. Instead Of advertising his pam
Ac"a In thc newspapers its iongiulOr
became the father Of drug laws in this
country and thus bcgot a brood Of laws
which, for entailing death, disaster. sui
fering and ruin have never been cuualcd
in the history of remedial legislation.
More than this, millions have been
made acquainteds with the possibilities
of drug addiction who would never have
otherwise known of this form Of !ndul
gence but for the advertising campaign
of drug law promoters and their drug
cure accessories, medical, commercial
lay and political.
JOHN +. DAVIS.