Evening star., 1952-01-25

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d For more than two years, a
growing number Of teen-agers
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Here is the lost Of . series deolins with
/ Amefic0's nofeotics traffic.
4 ~
lhave been dragged into the slave
world Of narcotics that has trapped
some $4,000 addicts in the United
States.
| But In the past two months.
United States Narcotics Commits
sioner N. j. Anslinger reports.
there has been decline in juve-
mile narcotics addiction. The
number of youngsters being treat
led as addicts also has tapered off.
It's the brightest news that has
come out of the battle against
the dread habit ID many months.
Credits New Federal Law.
Mr.. Anslinger gives credit to a
new Federal law, signed by Presi-
dent Truman last November, in
lcreaSing the penalties for viola
Etion Of the narcotics and marihuna
laws.
The new law fixes a minimum
prison term of two years and a.
maximum of five for the first
time violators. It bars suspended
sentences for those convicted a
tsecond time. 1t increases prison
terms to a possible 20 years for
third offengeS.
Mr.. AnSlinger has been directing
the Governments fight against
the narcotics traffic for years. He
lis convinced that tough Federal
land State laws. strictly enforced.
win dosmore than anything else to
frighten peddlers and drive the
dope trafflc from the sidewalks
LOT America.
Mr.. Anslinger is supported in
these views by Federal Judge Guy
IL. Fake Of New Jersey who has
had long experience In dealing
with narcotics addicts.
"WOrse Than LeprOsy."
Judge Fake has said: IF we
could teach the young what al
terrible thing it is. it might :.
frighten the life out of any one
who would think for one moment
of trying 1t even on a dare. i
Why this, narcotics addiction isl
worse than leprosy. a thousandI
times verse. and it spreads one
to another g
Judge Fake contends the kindestI
thing q Judge can do for an addict
is to sentence him to five years
detention time. enough to shake |
on the craving for the drug and
develop q new mental outlook.
And he faVors stiff penalties for
the peddlerS. s
fortunately the Nation has been
aleIted to the menace and the size |
OF the narcotics slave world Edu-
cati0n programs are being con-
ducted in schools and churches
and civic centels 81 some cities
10 give teensagefs q hint Of the
dangers in narcotics.
City, State and Federal agents
are making narcotics peddlersl
their special targets. The United
Nations is trying to get agreement
among its members on the control
|of narcotics manufacture and ex-
port. investigations have spot
lighted the iItuation.
|Addicts Have Ideas ON Controls
In the long parade of addicts
Who have gone before investigators.
there is the recurring theme: '.If
/ had only known what 1t would
do to me, i never would have
started using narcotics"
The addicts have their own
ideas, too. about how the traffic
should be controlled.
One 26-year-old woman addict
said: "f they once had the idea
OF what they were going to go
through :. after all you arel
giving up your freedom, and you
are certainly losing a good deal of
self respect, pride and those thingsl
mean q lot to q person-then II
think they would definitly not do
it. If they were informed Of it,
there would be fewer of our young
addicts."
A 19-year-old youth said: "II
don't think the fact that it (nar-
cotics) is dangerous will keep
teen-agers of drugs when they
reach 18 years old, because they
are subject to be drafted anyway
and to be sent to a foreign country
and placed in conflict. There isl
danger all around them, and the
fact that it is dangerous doesn't
solve the problem.
9. II you can more or lessI
help the addict himself, and notI
the potential addict, then you cam
lick the thing"
"Some One to Refer To-"
Another said: 'It seems asI
though there should be some kind
|of a consultation that a teen
|ager coming up can go to and
some one to refer to when he has
problems. It seems now that the
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