The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-06
U|VDE RWORLD IS
UNDER DRUG
CURSE
Or. Simon, N. Y. Expert, Gives
Outline Of Conditions and
Suggests Remedies.
By DIR. CHAMELEON SIMON.
Special Deputy Police Commissions
On Narcotics and One Of the
Foremost Authorities on
the Dope Traffic.

the Dope Traffic.
written for and Copyrighted, 1928. by
Cosmopolitan News Service.)
NEW YORK, Jan. 5.-The entire
underworld Of the city OF New York
y tainted today by the curse of mar
cottcs. A cure will only be made
possible when the deplorable condi-
tons are better understood With
Out this knowledge any proposal FOR
an antinarcotic campaign would
prove futile. If the use of mar
cotics Were only confined to the
wealthy class, IEhe solution would be
easy. But the roots lie deep in the.
social misery OF the underworld. The
percentage OF wealthy drug victims
y very low, but police records OF
New York City show 9S per cent or
those arrested owe their habit to
vice and crime.
Crime and drugs are closely as
sociated, and not until poverty and
vice are lessened will drug cures be
effective.
NEW LAWS NEEDED.
New Federal laws viii have to be
made TO care for the unfortunate
members Of society who have fallen
into the clutches Of drugs At pres
emit It is unconstitutional for ma
tional officers to interfere with in
dividuals in possession OF narcotics,
except those selling it. The Gov
ernment at Washington should rem
cay this. This action could then
Pc followed by establishment of hos
p1tals and camps where drug VIC
TINS may be segregated.
The most sensible thing to do at
present would be for the legislature
OF each State to attend to drug adj
diets within its boundaries. We
should have in the State Of New
York and in every State suitable
colonies where an addict may be
mentally and physically cured, 50
that when released he can find 9
better place in society. During this
enforced sojourn examinations
should be made of the patient to.
determine IL he is mentally defec-
tive by birth or morally deranged in
any manner. which condition would
lessen his chances of being perma-
nently cured.
INTERNATIONAL CONTROL.
International legislation has been
suggested. This is a subject for the
consideration of the serious and
sOber-niinded statesmen OF the
world. To enact laws to protect
the commercial drug business and
also to endeavOr to stamp out the
Legitimate. traffic in drugs. If
International legislation is made
possible, II must also include con-
troll OF the laboratories that ,,sanu-
facture drugs. 1t must also Ike
wise control the amount of poppy
and coca plant that Is cultivated.
Even then Ii may not be successful.
Unfortunately, we have a plant
that can be grown in any climate
and which 10 grown in this country.
In certain sections of the South
and Southwest this plant Is used as
q substitute for morphine and co.
caine. 1t may be also we'll to re-
member that cocaine is not only
produced from the coca plant, but
1t may be obtained alphabetically
from coal.tar products. The process
permits the manufacture yOf drugs
in laboratories as is being done COM
mercially in perfumes, odors, essen.
tial oils and such products as quiz
nine, camphor, rubber and salicilic
acid and thousands OF other prod
ucts used today.
France, Germany and Switzerland
are most active in the manufacture
and extraction Of drugs. In this
country there are likewise large
manufacturers. A great deal OF
this product finds its way through
the legitimate markets into illegiti.
mate traffic. Much of the drugs
from Europe is illegally brought
into this country by smugglers. For
tunately most Of the medical men
in this country are honestly trying
to stamp out the narcotic menace.