Evening star., 1947-01-12
By Edmund 6. Monk

|-HE Nations ace nemesis of
underworld tramckers in
narcotics believes that the
problem OF controlling dis
tribution Of sleeping medicines now
lies with the individual States.
AS many State Legislatures con-
vene this month, Commissioner H.
j. Arslinger, head OF the Federal
Narcotics Bureau, has just made
known his ideas on how control can
be accomplished.
The American Pharmaceutical AS
sociation has drafted model" law
which it plans to present to Legis-
latures of States that do not already
have laws to control barbiturates.
However, the APA law is not
tough" enough. in Commissioner
Anslinger's view, so he worked out
some revisions he feels will put the
necessary teeth in it.
Refilling Of Prescriptions
Called Unsound Practice
Commissioner Anslinger says one
of the roots of the sleeping medicine
problem is the refilling of prescrip-
tions. He says no doctor should be
permitted to mark such a prescrip-
ton so that it can be refilled and he
feels pharmacists should also be
bound never to refill prescriptions
for sleeping medicines. No telephone
prescriptions would be allowed in his
plan.
Manufacturers and wholesale
dealers should have q definite re-
sponsibility of limiting deliveries
of barbiturates to those who use
them for medical and scientific
purposes only. He critizes the limi-
tation Of deliveries to dispensing
sources "for use in the usual course
of their business or practice" as in
adequate.
Penalty provisions suggested by
t the Pharmaceutical Association, Mr..
Anslinger holds, are not stern
enough. He thinks they should be
made much stronger than the up
to-one-year's imprisonment and q
maximum fine of $500 for first Of
fense. The APA recommends dou-
BILE penalties for repeated offenses.
Further, If physician or pharma-
cist is convicted of violating a bar
biturates control law, Commissioner
Anslinger believes a notice of such
action should be sent to the State
Licensing Board for its action.
Many Gases Passed Over;
Mature of Barbiturates
Probably about a thousand cases
year are reported to the Federal
Bureau of Narcotics, which must be
passed over when it is discovered
they pertain to the misuse OF barol-
turates which are not chemically
classed are narcotics.
Barbiturates, which are used IN
compounding the majority of sleep
| ing medicines, are the salts and
derivatives of barbituric acid. They
have a sleep-inducing effect. The
physicians call them soporiflcs or
hypnotics. 's .'''-r 5a,st r. -, =,
They have a definitely beneficial
use in the ethical practice of medi-
cine, but, even as in the case OF
narcotics, they are misused by far
too many persons. Tragic suicides
and other mishaps have thus re-
suited. st
Psychiatrists break down the mis-
users of barbiturates into four
groups. These are: ID Persons
mentally normal, but acquire the
barbiturate habit Through medica-
ton during an illnsss. (2 Those
who have personality difficulties re-
sulting in sleeplessness and nerV-
ousness. They attain a degree OF
ascaae by the use of barbiturates.
~ 9sychopathic personalities who
| find that use barbiturates gives them
that I'm a big man" feeling. N
Those definitely psychotic.
Need for Strong Law
Realized at Conference
In the underworld barbiturates
are called "goof balls" or yellow
jackets" They are used for pur-
poses similar to those motivating
drug addicts. Adolescents some
times use them for a thrill such
as that sought by gin-guzzling
youngsters of the so-called flapper
era of the '20s.
The need for strong laws to con-
troll the use of barbiturates was
brought out in the fall of 1916 at q
BY Dick Mansfield