Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-23
Death Favored
In Dope! Racket
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
tense to 10 years for the third
cffense.
Mr.. Ross, grey-haired. near
ing 46 years Of age and self
described 'middleweight," told
the subcommittee how he be-
came an addict while he was a
Marine suffering from malaria
and leg wounds on Guadalcanal
In November. 1912.
He told of being given shot
Of morphine and going back into
the lines during the battle.
Every second or third day, he
said, he was sent back to sick
bay and the corpsman would
give him another shot. BY the
time he was flown to the New
Hebrides, he said, he was an
addict.
Divorce Is Factor
He told of spending 10 months
In military hospital on Long
Island and Of getting away from
the hospital every few days to
get morphine from his personal
physician. He told OF his mar
rage breaking up and how, the
day he read in the newspapers
that his wife was seeking a di-
yorce, that he walked into the
ONCE of the Federal Narcotics |
Bureau in New York and told
the story.
Mr.. Ross described going to
the Federal Narcotics Hospital
at Lexington, KY. Of wanting
to leave after the 18th day and
Of being talked into staying for
120 days.
Then he described the eight
years since. remarrying his wife,
returning to Lexington to adj
dress the addicts and to referee
at prize fights, touring the coun-
try to lecture on addiction. and
doing what he could about the
thousands of letters he had re-
ceived from parents asking him
to help their addict sons and
daughters. Mr.. Ross said he
believes if more places were
available for treatment of adj
diets, more young people would
volunteer to come in for treat
ment.
Speaks for Addicts
IT can't believe it's possible
that they want to be addicted for
the rest of their lives because
they might just as well be dead"
he declared. They can't navi-
gate. All they can think about
is the goddess opium. They're
not any good to anybody. They'll
rob and steal. They'll even pros
titute their own sister or sweet
heart to take care of their habit.
I've seen it happen"
While firmly opposing any
proposal to establish free mar
cotics clinics, Mr.. Ross said con-
firmed addicts over the age Of
so should be given some con-
sideration. He said he thought
they should be permanently in
stitutionalized.
When he was asked for his
recommendations, Mr.. Ross pro-
posed that every addict when re-
leased from any form Of deten-
ton be required to appear at a
hospital every 80 days for a
checkup. He included himself
among the addicts who should
report although he said he had
been clean" for eight years. He
also recommended compulsory
disqualification Of addicts for
not less than 80 days. He called
for closing up so-called rest
homes which he said are actual
fronts for addicts and recon-
inended that addicts coming into
Federal narcotics hospitals for
the first time be separated from
repeaters.
Mr.. Ross was followed by 1t.
Gen. Joseph M. Swing. U. s. A.
retired, Commissioner of I'm
migration and Naturalization.
Gen. Swing told the subcommit-
tee that there has been a steady
How Of narcotics across the Mexi-
can border into the large cities
of the country. In the IL months
ending In June. he said, border
patrols caught 345 smugglers Of
marihuana and heroin and
seized nearly half a million dol
lars worth Of narcotics.
Gen. Swing said he Is now con-
cerned that smugglers are get
ting across the border by some |
means other than auto or truck
because since July there have
been only four seizures. all minor.