Evening star., 1926-01-18
RUM PRESCRIPTION
WAR LANDS LOCAL
|. PHYSICIANS IN NET
Check-Up of Use of Permits
Will Bring Several Be-
fore Inquiry Body.
DRUGGISTS ALSO UNDER
FIRE OF DRY OFFICERS
Names of Doctors Involved With
held-May Lose Privilege
Permanently.


been put into action against illegal
issuance Of liquor prescriptions hy
local physicians
Inc Hquor permits of a few doctors
have been taken away and the doc
tors have been cited 10 appear ~
hearings in which il will be deter
mined by the Government whether
their permits should be revoked. :
was announced TODAY
This action has been taken undo
direction of Deputy Prohibition .td-
ministrator Gerald 2. Murphy in I'm
with a Nationwide drive by Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury Lincoln
{. Andrews TO be made against boot
leg druggists" and illegal practices.
by physicians.
Drug Store Action Unknown.
What action has been taken in re-
gard to the drug stores OF the Districr
of Columbia was not revealed. al
though. il is understood some are uu-
der surveillance.
In the case Of the doctors. however.
IL was learned that agents have ''lif.-
ed" their prescription books tempo
rarily, and that the doctors must nov
prove that they have been encaC Ced
in legal practices before they VIII
again have the privilege Of using pre-
SCriptions.
Under orders from Gen. Andrews.
and simultaneously with q similar
drive throughout the country under
the same kind Of procedure. these doc
tors will appear at hearings. the find
ings will he referred I" the office uf
the prohibition administrator and
decision reached
Should the administrator at Palri
more find that District Of Columbia
doctors have resorted 10 Illegal prac-
tices. it is regarded likely that theE
! would either lose their permit priv
ilege permanently or for certain
specified time, depending upon H..
seriousness of the violation.
Proceedings Withheld
The proceedings in the case of the
! doctors whose names have been with
held, were raid to be somewhat simila D.
! to procedure in the case of a Govern
ment petition for an injunction against
cafes, restaurants, hotels, etc. popu-
larly known as paddock proceedings
The names Of the doctors. or even
! the number OF doctors involved. viii
not be made public. it was understood
unless punitive action is taken against
In his general order to prohibition
administrators throughout the coun-
! try. calling for campaign against
! lawbreakinG druggists aud doctors
Gen. Andrews said:
Il believe il possible TO clean up
pretty thoroughly on the diversion Of
whisky through it, present form Of
distribution for medicinal use by re
vokinc the permits Of all those drug
crS- la, ny ~
Would Test Whisky.
Prohibition Administrators Baird 81
! Pittsburgh. Gen. Andrews said. had
proposed as a plan for his district. L"
lift simultaneously from every dru-
store in given city one pint of its
medicinal whisky; then test this
whisky for purity and where. he finds
the druggist handling split whisky or
other than absolutely pure bottled in
bond whisky TO revoke his permit
Administrator Baird planned, Gen.
Andrews said, TO make public the
names of those druggists handling
genuine bottled-in-bond whisky. so
that the public may know where ii
may be procured for medicinal pur-
poses"
Gen. Andrews letter declared that
when this procedure was followed
simultaneously throughout the city
it is as fair for one as for another,
and it occurs to me that in the
interest of public health as we'll as
law enforcement this may we'll be
done. In large city il would have
to he done one section at q tune for
want of enough men to handle II
In all cases the bottles could he re
turned to the druggist after it had
been tested.
Sees Big Advantages.
II want to urge upon YOU" said
Gen. Andrews to his administrators
the advantages to law enforcement
and to the community at large of
getting rid of bootleg druggists
Please, therefore. work in close CO.
operation with the State authorities,
both as TO pharmacists and as to
physicians You should never grant
a physiCian's permit unless You have
assured Yourself that he is a bona
fide and duly qualified physician. If.
through illegal practices. You have oc-
casion to revoke his permit. YOU
should at once notify the State au-
thorities of the action taken. In the
same way You should notify them of
the revocation of pharmacists per
mits.
In most states you Will iiIl' li'i'
authorities anxious to clean up the il
legitimate practices of both profes-
sions, and thus, through cooperation.
YOU should be mutually helpful.
I'm the larger cities, particularly
where police cooperation exists. l rec
ommend that you make II practice
of notifying the- lief of police of
each revocation or permit as il takes
place. otherwise the police might
be cognizant of the continued activ
ity of a permittee after his permit
has been revoked, and believe such
IL. L., f,,l