Evening star., 1954-10-14
District S New
Narcotics Ward
Stands Empty
Never q Patient;
Dope Addict Low
Held Ineffective
By Miriom Ottenberq

WlLlCCI W IlOuSc UOpc duOlCIS Has
never had a patient.
The law to make addicts take
hospital treatment has been in
voked only seven times and has
worked only twice.
The $4,000 unit for the ad-
diets at District General Hospital
may be diverted to other pur-
poses-even Office space-if II
isn't used soon.
Why is the narcotics ward
empty? Why isn't the law
pushed by both police and pros
ecutor-being used more often?
Police and prosecutors agree
on this point: Mothers and wives
of addicts were expected to use
the law to get help for loved
ones. They are not doing it.
In only two cases have families
co-operated. Those are the only
two where the law has worked
so far.
United States Attorney Leo A.
Rover says the police are not
bringing in the cases.
Police say that Mr.. Rover
wants only the addicts with a
good chance of rehabilltat ton and
tloa Il,
No Teeth in Law.
But the lnen directly handling
the cases say the law has no
teeth. They say the addict has
plenty of time to go into hiding
while the non-criminal proce-
dures are being carried out.
Mr.. Rover said it may be
necessary to ask Congress for
legal machinery to get suspected
addicts into custody until it is
finally determined whether or
not they are addicts and should
be forced to take treatment.
In the meanwhile, he said, he
will set up a conference with
the United States Marshal and
police to thrash out all the prcb-
lens that have arisen since the
first case in May.
Police Chief Robert v. Murray
said he would assign Capt. John
Layton to work on the police end.
He pointed out that Capt. Lay
ton headed the narcotics squad
while the addict bill was being
developed and was in on the
original conferences.
The law to compel addicts to
take treatment went into effect
last December but the District
had no place to send addicts for
long-term treatment. So an
other law was passed in May CIV
ing the District the right to
send a limited number of non-
criminal addicts to Federal mar
cotics hospitals for rehabilita-
ton.
Test for Addiction.
Meanwhile, the second floor
of the administration building
of District General Hospitals
psychiatric department was re-
modelled by borrowing funds
from other parts of the hospital
budget. Arrangements were
made for staff of 10 to man the
ward and the hospital waited for
patients. They were to be sent
there for examinations to deter
mine whether or not they were
addicts and. if the court found
them addicted, they were to be
returned to the ward to await
transportation to a Federal mar
cotics hospital.
Here is what has happened in
the seven cases-the reason why
the ward is locked and gathering
dust:
1. On the basis of police evi-
dence. a judge agreed to order
a woman to appear in court to
decide if she should be sent to
District General for examina-
ton. Before she could be served
with the papers, she was arrested
on charges of soliciting prosti-
tuition. Mr.. Rover decided to drop
the prostitution charge on the
theory that she was soliciting as
a means of getting money to
support her dope habit. She was
served with papers, but between
the service and her court ap-
pearance, she was arrested again
on a soliciting charge. Again
Mr.. Rover dropped the case. The
third time the same performance
vas repeated. Judge Edward
Tamm of United States District
Court for the District of Colum-
bia dismissed the addict proceed
ings on the ground that she was
(See NARCOTICS, Page A-3)