The Washington times., 1923-05-03
CALLS DRY
AGEN IS
CROOKS
Speaker at Anti-Narcotic Con-
ference Tells How Addicts
Are Cured.


The crusade against drugs
should not be ''tarred and
damned with the faint of dis
honesty that has become attached
to prohibition enforcement, DIR.
Daniel j. Mccarthy, representing
the Pennsylvania State board of
health, told the National Anti
Narcotic Conference at the New
Willard today.
"Let us keep our campaign
open and honest and above
board" he said. Eve don't want
any hideous prohibition scandal
in the big work we have before
u.s."
Ridicules Dry Agents.
DIR. Mccarthy ridiculed the work
of prohibition enforcement agents as
reeking with corruption. He said
the traffic in drugs can be fought
successfully only by men who do
more than lip-service to the cause.
THE drug crusade and prohibition
should not be linked in the public
mind in any way" he continued.
tact between the Volstead act and
the Harrison law. That would be
fatal" IN.
Reports have come to DR.. McCar-
thy that the funds obtained by the
Federal Government for narcotic
licenses for physicians are being d.
verified to the general fund for pro-
hibition enforcement He said this
should be stopped Immediately and
that the money should be employed
in enforcing the Harrison anti-nar
cotic law.
Outlines Drug Treatment.
The cure for the drug habit
point of 100 grains of morphine a
days not a complex or difficult
matter, said DIR. Mccarthy.
Almost as challenge to other
experts in the psychology of drug
addiction, DR. Mccarthy outlined
his treatment, which he char
acterized as ''startingly simple.
He declared physicians declined
TO believe him when he asserted
that less than per cent of his
cases became "backsliders" or re-
turn to the dope habit. He then
revealed some details of his formula
of treatment.
''It is not hard, it is easy, to re:
duce the amount of morphine, hero
in, or cocaine rapidly while the adj
dict is under treatment" said DR..
Mccarthy.
Must Be Kept in Bed.
"An addict who has been used to
100 grains of morphine day can be
reduced to three grains in few
weeks. 1t is essential that he be
kept in bed and that he be isolated.
This saves all the nervous stimula-
ton that has surrounded his use
of the drug.
He will not be conscious of the
fact that his dose is being reduced
day by day. He will feel no i'll eff
fects from 10; he will not crave bigger
doses, provided he gets his drug
regularly. At first it is best to give
him a quarter Of grain of morphine
every three hours. That dose can
be reduced to one-hundredths of
grain in a few weeks"
After complete withdrawal of the
drug in the ideal surroundings of
a hospital specializing in such cases,
comes the task of physical and
moral restoration of the patient.
Cure Is Moral Problem.
DIR. Mccarthy declared the will
power developed almost in exact
ratio as the physical tone of the
addict was restored. He laid stress
upon the fact that the cure of the
drug habit was a moral rather than
physical problem.
DIR. Mccarthy made a sweeping
denunciation of the commitment of
dope addicts, except the clearly
criminal and sub-normal cases, to
general hospitals. He said psyche
logical surroundings there were
such as to preclude the possibility
of recovery. He was equally strong
in denouncing the Incarceration of
high-grade morons-such as girls
who may have become victims of
habit-forming drugs and are inter
mittently delinquent--in penal insti-
tutions.
Put any drug addict under a
physicians control for four months,
said DIR. Mccarthy. land the prob
lem becomes purely one of morals
and will power. We cannot expect
TO cure the lower orders OF society
the moral imbecile and the crimi
nal, but for the others there is q
way out"
Clinics for drug addicts, to be op
Grated by the municipal authorities
was advocated in the meeting OF
the National Anti-Narcotic Confer
ence yesterday by DIR. James 7
Fisher of Los Angeles. He de
scribed a clinic conducted by DR.
Luther NJ. Powers, who for thirty
five years has been public health