The Washington times., 1930-02-05
PUBLIC HEALTH
MEN APPROVE
:. PORTER BILL

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Officials Of the United States
Health Service today added their
voices to the general commenda.
ton Of Representative Porter's
TWO anti-narcotic bills, now pend
ing in Congress.
The Pennsylvanian's measures
would centralize all Government
agencies dealing with the sup
preston Of the dope traffic and
would refuse a narcotic license
70 any physician who is a dope
addict himself or who has ever
been convicted of violating the
narcotic laws Of any State or Of
the nation.
Bar 1900 Physicians
There are approximately 323..
900 registered physicians in the
United States and of these. it is
estimated that only 1000 would
be barred from prescribing and
administering narcotics should
the Porter bills become law.
According to DR.. Hugh S. Cum
ming, surgeon general Of the
United States Public Health Ser
vice, enactment Of the two For
ter bills would be great con.
structive step toward solution OF
the American dope problem
which problem is vital to the
nation.
independent boards, with no
central authority or responsibility
are not, in my opinion, the most
effective means of enforcing
law which is so widely violated.
he said.
Fix Responsibility
"The new bureau set up in
the bill will make one man
responsible for the enforcement
of narcotic laws and give his
bureau authority now split seV
eral ways, with which to enforce
them.
There is no effective. means
at present to determine the
amount Of narcotics which are
used legitimately, for medicinal
and surgical purposes, in this
country. A committee OF three
physicians from the Public
Health Service, authorized under
the bill, is the logical instrument
for fixing this amount.
There can be no doubt as tt
the wisdom of the bill providing
for the suspension or revocation
of the narcotic drug dispensing
licenses of physicians who have
been convicted of violating the
narcotic laws or who are them
selves addicts. Every physician
should approve of this protec.
ton against unprincipled prac
titioners. The bill very fairly
makes ample provision for appeal
from any suspension or revoca'
ton, through hearings before the
narcotics bureau and appeal
through the courts.
DR.. Walter Treadway, chief of
the narcotic division of the Pub
lie Health Service and chairman
Of a subcommittee to select the
sites of two national narcotic
farms for the cure Of addicts,
said:
Tighten Enforcement
cdr. Cummings statement re-
garding the bill also covers my
views on the matter I am sure
these bills would be the instru-
ments to materially tighten en-
forcement of national narcotic
laws through the co-ordinating OF
activities now scattered.
"a strong, responsible bureau
cannot fail to be more effective
than the present method Of en-
forcing the narcotic laws through
an interdepartmental board, a di.
vision of a bureau already en-,
gagged in the enforcement Of an
/. other troublesome law and other
scattered agencies.
There can be no question
about the value of the law against
prescribing Of narcotics by physi-
clans who are themselves addicts
or who have been convicted Of
violating narcotic laws. Such dan
gerous practice certainly should
be stopped. No honest physician
or surgeon could quarrel with the
safeguards given him under the
bill against unfair suspension or
revocation of his dispensing
license.