Evening star., 1922-09-10
By JAMES A. BUCHANAN.

" HE United States is today con.
fronted with one of the great
est evils the world has ever
L known; an evil that unless
checked will ruin the young men and
women of the country; an evil that
if not abolished, or at least put under
control, will continue to sap the men,
tality and vitality of thousands OF
citizens of this country; an evil that
Is insidious in its workings: that is
being carried on by those who care
raught for the souls or bodies OF
men, women and children; that is rec
ognized as an evil by Congress. which
passed laws for its suppression. but
failed to appropriate sufficient money
To carry out the provisions of the law.
Not alone does lack of money re-
suit in the evil remaining uncon-
uuered. Judges in different parts of
the country have not imposed peni-
tentiary sentences of sufficient length
to discourage this menace.
The foregoing words form the COM
posite view of numerous government
officials who have had to deal with
the drug evil throughout the United
States and while one does not desire
to be looked upon as an alarmist or
extremist. careful investigations and
numerous conferences with govern
ment officials brought to light the
fact that there are more than quar-
ter of million known drug addicts in
the United States, and estimates fur
nished by these same authorities in
dicate that the number of drug ad-
If not exceed. the million mark.
GOVERNMENT officials declare that
~ If steps are not taken. and taken
at once, there Will be hundreds and
hundreds of thousands of addicts
added to those at present known. The
men making these statements are
citizens of the highest repute, men
and women who have made a care
full survey of the situation for the
last year or more. and while here
and there Individual organizations
have taken up the matter with a de-
sire to help the authorities in their
work of stamping out this evil, there
has been no general concerted move
ment on the part of organizations to
turn their time and attention to the
matter.
If it were non-progressive and con-
cerned only those of middle or old
age, 1t would be bad enough; but the
Illegal vendors. urged on by the
glamour of huge monetary rewards,
are daily extending their tentacles
into every highway and byway, reach
ing out to enslave girls and boys.
While it is true that of the eighteen
million prescriptions containing mar
cotic drugs there were many that
were written by reputable physicians.
thousands and thousands were not
given for the purpose of affording
temporary relief to a suffering body.
The startling figures given by B. r.
Rhees, NJ. D., United States narcotic
agent in charge of the Baltimore di-
vision, which embraces the District
Of Columbia will give only slight
idea of the extent of the drug evil.
not only throughout the entire coun-
try, but also here in the District of
Columbia. The figures given by Dr.
Ehees are of the latest date available,
but there is no doubt that they are
l6wer than those obtaining at the
present time
Unless one has conversed with the
slaves Of the drug ring he cannot
appreciate the extent of the evil. nor
can he begin to realize the tortures
that the addicts undergo during the
periods when they are unable to get
their daily shot" or sniff" Let the
reader come in contact, as the writer
has. with men who are tottering,
nervous. physical derelicts. men who
once possessed splendid physiqnes.
TALK with some of those who have
become habitual users of the drug
and you will, in the main, talk with
a class of people from the breasts of
whom all hope has f1ed-people who
never expect again to enjoy the real
beauties of this world or hope to
enioy the blessings of the next.
It is a fact well known to govern
ment officials that the drug evil in
the District of Columbia is on the
increase; that organized rings have
heen formed: that trips are made to
out-of-town points, generally seaport
towns; and that cocaine, morphine
nd other body-destroying drugs are
being brought in in greater quanti-
tres today than ever before In the his
tory of the city.
So greedy have become the heads
Of these organized bands that young
men and women, some of them ad-
diets, although a majority or the
sellers are too clever to use the drugs
themselves. have for months been
visiting different places Of amuse-
ment and slyly fastening their
clutches on unsuspecting youths.
The approach" is, as rule, ap-
parently the most harmless one. If
the selected victim does not evince a
desire to partake of the poisons-for.
such they are-means are found so
that a small dose can be given sur
reptitiously. The conduct of the de-
coy is apparently above reproach.
At a second meeting another por-
ton Of the drug is given, until final
1y the system. having become ac-
to 1t, demands it daily. The
innocent victim happens to remark
that there Is feeling of lassitude
and aching of the bones. whereupon
the drug agent tells how he has
headache powder that helped him
W hen he felt that way.
&hen commences his real open
work. In the next day or two the |
victim seeks him out, and In the
course of three or four weeks or /
month he is visited daily. Finally the |
begins to cost money, and If
ihe enslaved one has not the cash
with which TO purchase, he or she 10 ]