Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-29
Morse Pushes
DopeBi
Full Committee Due
To Stort Study Of
Proposal Next Week
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG

senator MORSE, Democrat OF
Oregon. said today he expects to
complete work on the proposed
new District narcotics bill this
week and expects consideration
by the full Senate District Com
mittee next week.
The chairman of the Senate
District subcommittee consider
ing the measure said he consid-
cred the detectives of the big
bill very sound"
He said he wants to explore
further the objections made by
druggists to record-keeping
called for in the legislation and
the definitions of drugs spelled
out in the measure.
House Hearings Set
While the Senate subcommit-
tee is completing its study of the
measure, a House District sub
committee plans to open hear
ings on a companion bill on
Thursday. Representative Aber-
Inathy. Democrat of Mississippi,
one of the sponsors of the meas
ure, will preside over the House
subcommittee hearings.
Federal and District officials
gave strong backing to the pro-
posed legislation at hearings
conducted by Senator Morse
yesterday.
Already Endorsed
Commissioner Robert E. Nc
Laughlin told Senator Morse
that although the bill had been
introduced only a week ago the
Commissioners have already
voted their full approval of the
bill.
The measure uses two devices
to get the addicts off the streets.
One is through civil commit
ment for treatment of addicts
considered susceptible to reha-
bllltatiOn. The other provides
for their arrest as Migrants and
commitment to Jail or a mar
cotics farm.
Senator Morse, in questioning
United States Attorney Oliver
Gasch, cited different types of
cases to determine how police
would handle various types of
addicts.
He gave as one example the
drug user who goes along for
years on what he considers a
moderate amount of drugs, but
keeps up his professional life
and supports his family. Senator
Morse made it clear that this
drug user might ultimately be-
come a social menace, but he
wanted to know if he could be
picked up by the police during
the period of his life when he
was still an apparently normal
Citizen.
Vagrant Type Described
Mr.. Gasch replied that such a
drug user would not be consid-
cred a vagrant but might be
Judged in need of disqualification
and committed to a hospital.
Senator Morse then brought
up the case of an addict who
could no longer hold a job and
lived by pandering or petty
Ithefts. Senator Morse wanted to
know if police could pick him up
anywhere as a vagrant.
Mr.. Gasch said that he could
be considered an addict-vagrant.
Federal Narcotics Commits
Sioner Harry j. Anslinger told
the Senator that the proposed
addict-vagrant measure was sim
liar to one in New Jersey which
has worked extremely, we'll" AS
for the bill as a whole. he said
he thought it was a very good
measure which would be helpful
in controlling the drug traffic and
hating the spread of addiction.
Gives City Control
Commissioner George P. Lar
rick of the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration. appraised the pro-
visions giving the city control for
the first time over barbiturates
or sleeping pills and amphet-
amineS or thrill pills. He said
the bill seeks to provide full OPP
portunity for the use of these
drugs without unnecessary re-
strictions in medical practice
while imposing such conditions
on its distribution and sale as
will insure they are used only
for medical purposes under suf-
ficient direction.
He said he believed the bill
would accomplish its purposes
without imposing any undue
ourden on anyone.
F. Royce Franzoni, president
of the District Board of Phar-
macy, took a different view of
the burdens. He said that in
the effort to give enforcement
officials what they needed to
control the sale of these pills,
I'VE may have created undue
hardship and a financial burden
including the possible rise in the
cost of medicines" because of
the recordkeeping required.
Must Approve Money
DR.. Daniel L, Seckinger, Dis
trict health director, made the
point that enough money would
have to be appropriated to take
care of the addicts expected to
be controlled through the bill.
Miss Elizabeth A. Smart, di-
rector Of legislation. National
Womans Christian Temperance
Union. said that If the addicts
were taken of the street as Wis
lualized in this legislation. nine
tenths of the District narcotics
problem would be solved.