The Washington times., 1928-06-08
AlDICTS TRIED
IN QUANTITY

The recent wholesale trial In Paris
~ drug addicts and alleged dispens-
ers 0f narcotic drugs covered charges
against not less than rs persons.
some ok them ordinary traffickers
ii morphine, heroin, opium and
cocaine: others were simple drug
addicts who had resorted fraud
III order to procure the drug; then
there were q numEer az physicians
and pharmacists charged with vio-
latiOns Of the regulations IA regard
To the prescribing and sale 0t mar.
c0tics. most 81 these having been
merely imprudent, eys the Paris
correspondent OF The Journal Of the
American Medical Association.
The reason, he continues. for
this exceptionally large number Of
accused persons was that the court
desired to group together all the
cases on the docket coming under
the same general head. Some Of
the charges dated back four yea. ).
Counsel for the addicts pleaded that
they could not be held accountable
for their fraudulent acts, as their
judgment was impaired BY their
chronic state OF intOxication. The
fudge questioned them kindly. He
was more severe IN his manner as
he directed questions to the physi
clans and to the pharmacists. and
when he recognized professional
traffickers IN narcotics.
Physicians Duped
HE spoke at times somewhat in
DILIGENTLY to some Of the physicians
who had been 30 naive as to allow
themselves to be duped by their
agtute clients. Some OF the drug
addicts had told their physicians
that they were planning to have him
give them demorphinization treat
ment but that they needed q small
supply Of morphine SO as to arrange
their affairs or to take q trip be-
fore beginning the treatment. BY
telling the same story to several
physicians they were able to pro-
cure as much morphine as they
desired.
zone addict had supply of pre-
scrpition blanks printed, In exact
imitation OF physieian's blanks,
with the days and hours for CONSUL
taticns given. These he filled out
and signed himself and in this man
ner was able, by making the rounds
az the pharmacies Of Paris and its
suburbs, to secure an enormous sup
ply Of drugs before the fraud was
discovered.
1.-THE Judge. who had had an In
yegtigation made in all the pharm-
acies of the Paris region, had 1880
prescriptions to inspect, many OF
which were counterfeited. 1t was
shown that some pharmacists knew
that the prescriptions presented
We're not genuine, but filled them
nevertheless.
Regulations Hit
1.-THE most interesting part OF the
trial was the deposition Of the ex-
perts. Prof. Balthazard. medicolegal
expert, criticized the decree OF 1915
that regulates the prescribing and
sale OF narcotics; more particularly,
the provision that authorizes a
physician 10 dispense seven ampules
of morphine weekly. in large doses,
during the course of ambulant de-
rnorphinization treatment. Su C h
treatment Is illusory and opens the
way for all sorts of fraudulent
practices. Denlorphinization treat
mert cannot be regarded seriously
unless the patients are under rigor
Gus supervision. It Is adapted only
to special sanitariums.
''Dr. Radais. dean OF the Faculte
de Pharmacie, criticized the law
which, on the admission of opium
at the French borders, assumed that
it contained 10 per cent of morphine,
whereas today it contains IL per
cent or more, with the result that
the excess escapes legal supervision
al to its ultimate destination.
Furthermore, the penalties imposed
are much too mild to deter traffick-
ers from repeating the offense: for
instance. one OF them in whose pos
session 90 Kg of amugled morphine
was found received sentence of
only three months in prison and
200 francs fine. Thus. this trial
ended az usual. with the irnposi-
ton Of mild penalties"