Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-28
SAYS DRUGS CHIEF CAUSE
OF APPALLING CRIME In u. S.
New York Official Believes Enough
Narcotics Spirited In to Put Nation
Asleep Week.

other petty crimes for the purpose of
obtaining funds to satisfy their GRAY
ings. One boy has stated to officers
that he has about 20 companions or
his own age who are drug users.
Another boy disclosed that he knew
40 playmates who were addicted like
himself. Peddlers Of drugs are giving
them away to some children to create
narcotic. addiction. thus charging the
demand for their illicit traffic"
O. Is a drug addict rapidly made?
A. Very quickly. One only has to
indulge few times to find himself
in the tolls of the habit. And the
horror of the malady is that there IS
no cure l have never known OF a
case really cured. The craving may
be allayed but never eXterminated. A
drug addict If unrestrained In his
use of drugs lives only about TOUR
or five wears. A drunkard may live
to ripe old age, but the drug slave
is doomed quickly. And the partic-
ular curse of our drug evil is that
the average age of a drug addict is -
years.
Smugglers Chief Source.
@. Where does our supply of drugs
come from and how is it distributed
since it is against the law to purVey
narcotics?
A. The supply is entirely foreign.
The drugs that are distributed to DO
the harmful work of developing drug
maniacS are those which are smugEled
into the country. Drug smuggling Is
a profitable business. For few
grains of the craved-for narcotic per-
sons afflicted will pay up to $25. Ere
quently a drug addict has to pay out
this amount daily to satisfy his APP
petite. Such an outlay tor drugs
means that the drug maniac must 40
anything to get money. Our WORST
criminals have gone into the business
of selling narcotics and developing
buyers of drugs. We are deluged by
silent and heartless armies of drug
peddlers who are making war in the
most horrible manner oITsociety. We
should have laws that would punish
drastically drug peddlers and they
should be enforced to the limit.
@. How is a drug addict made into
a criminal?
A. In the first place if one is con-
frmed drug addict he must get money
and get it plentifully because drugs sell
very dearly Hence, in desperation
the drug addict takes a chance on
crimes that the ordinary criminal
would avoid. The murderer who does
the deed in broad daylight or the bank
robber who holds up the cashier at
noon is invariably drug addict. Only
the craving of drugged nature could
inspire the courage necessary to do
such reckless deeds. We all remem-
Der the exposure of Chicago's crime
ring that paid its assassins in mar
cotics for the deeds they committed.
Chicago is only typical of what may be
found on a smaller scale in any other
large American city. Crime organiza-
tions, employing degenerate drug adj
diets and coercing them to foul crimes
by promising dope If successful in their
efforts, are frequent. Dope is indispens-
able to get certain crimes done. Only
a degenerate dope maniac will do the
foul work. 1t takes a deranged mind
to do such deeds. The sane criminal
shrinks from such atrocities. But the
drug criminal doesn't hesitate mo-
ment if the reward be only more dope.