The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-24
By WTNIFRED BLACK,
Copyright. 1929. by Cosmopolitan
News Service)

(COpyright. 1873, Dy Cosmopoutah
News Service.)
How will the dope ring like the
idea of turning the whole "dope"
business over to Uncle Sam-and
keeping it there forever-as far as
this country is concerned? How
will such an idea strike the great
narcotic dealers in the Far East -
Turks, East Indians. Cinnamon,
Japanese, English, French, Ger
man, Italian-Oh! they're all in
tall the different nations and
races are represented in the dope
ring-be sure of that.
Up to u. s. Dealers, Too.
How will our own big manu-
1acturers meet such an idea?
What excuse will they give for
wanting to keep on making dope
tons and tons Of it a year?
What reasons will they give for
asking that they be allowed to
keep on making cocaine and NOR
phine and heroin and sending it
out Of the country-only to have
Il struggled back in again and sold
In tobacco and candy stores with
doubtful regulations and in queer
restaurants and in shady hotels,
sold by taxi drivers and walters
and sometimes by clerks at the
soda fountain in what is supposed
TO be q perfectly respectable drug
store?
Sold to Anybody.
Sold to old men and old women
and to men and women in what
ought to be the prime of life, and
TO the very school boys and school
girls that should be the heart and
hope Of the country.
Tons Of dope we manufacture
right here in America today.
We have four Of the largest fac
tories in the world in the United
States.
Laws already in force see to it
that all dope manufactured in the
United States and sold in the
United States must be registered,
and 50 unless the druggist is
crooked or the doctor is wrong,
that particular dope is rather easy
to fellow and to watch.
1t Comes Back.
But how about the tons that are
year, only to sneak back again to
corrupt and enslave thousands and
thousands Of our young men and
women?
Our American manufacturers
shipped $4,000 ounces of morphine
salts out of San Francisco to the
Orient in one period of five months.
In those same five months Seattle
shipped an amount equal to $780,
600. 900 doses of morphine, 100000
doses Of cocaine and 148 zoe, 900 doses
of opium.
In one month there were in the
customs office in Seattle awaiting
shipment few cases consigned
from New York and Philadelphia
to Oriental ports. and those cases
phine salts and 17,500,000 doses OF
diacetyl morphine hydro-chloride. g
Shipments a Blind.
Most of this shipment was con
signed to Japan. but the Japanese
do not use dope. The quantity
shipped by American consigners tc
Japan by way Of Seattle alone dur
ing that same five months period
mentioned above amounts to about
ten doses for every man, woman
and child in Japan.
Let's not forget these figures
let's not forget them for single
minute, even If we have to reaC
them and say them over and Owe
in order to remember them.
These figures will come in hand!
when we begin to hear the argu
rnents about Government interfer
ence with Legitimate business.
How much legitimate business ex
actly will there be in that enormou
amount Of dope made in the Unite'
States of America and sent out L
poison the world. And the wors
Of 1t is that at least two-thirds o
1t came right straight back I
America to poison our own people
How can the profit on any sucl
trade as that be in any sense OF tn
word 'legitimate?"
Some Needed Here.
We need morphine and opium i
our hospitals and in our sick rooms
q would be dreadful thing to tax
away the blessed relief Of thee
anodynes. but we do not need huI