Show II WOUlD CURB SAlE Of HABIT fORMING DRUGS THROUGHOUT COUNTRY Alsberg Wishes Government to Watch Supply Tracing All I Importations Dr Carl J. J L. L chief of or the bureau of or chemistry nas nas a n plan to curb curl the tho Indiscriminate sale of or ha habit habit- lt forming drugs Imp hI lIe would woul have ha tI the state an and federal governments Cooperate co Co Co- operate to keep an accurate record of ot the tho disposition of at all 1111 narcotics from rom the time or ot their Importation Importation and vir- vir Wall all of or these druGs druG's are Imported through h the tho wholesaler r and jo Jobber down to th the pharmacist dentist ant and veterinarian He Ike has a notion that If It the federal o government would do its Hs share state officials h by an examination of oC federal records would bo be able to learn what whal quantities ties tics of cocaine and other oilier habit forming drugs were coming into the tho state stae and to whom the they were ero consigned Each state would then ho bo In Jn a position to control this scourge he lie Insists anti and It If It falls fails to do llo so would have to shoulder the tue responsibility lined Hard T Task ruNk sk for Bureau ur nu If there has hns heretofore been an any question regarding Dr 4 i tudo on dealing a with It itis It drugs and medicInal medic medic- inal Ins preparations he lie dl dispelled It Il when he lie said ald that thal ho he believed cd the thc bureau of chemistry has no more mOIo Important Im urn- task tatk than coping with the tle drug ru problem While the efforts of ot tho the department I of oC agriculture insofar a ay rue the lie control of oC food oud products over o It Il hrs has r Jurisdiction Is con concerned have ha been attended with considerable success s. s this haw has b been cn true to a less degree with drugs and medicines said Dr Als Ala ber berg The Thc fault has been In 1 cart alt with unforeseen loopholes In tho the In law Jaw w. w i do 10 donol donot not nol wish to Imply that nothing has been accomplished On the contrary through h the Iho great powers power over o Imports Imports Im Im- Irn- Irn ports vested In tho the secretary of ot the I treasury tho the department of or I ll ture turo has succeeded In k Keeping out of the country all crude drugs drubs of or au an In inferior in- in tenor quality Great Benefit The Tue benefit to medicine and pharmacy pharmacy phar phar- mac macy has been beca groat To accomplish this end Is a Yen very simple simpio mutter muller because because be be- cause the secretary of ot the tho treasury lies has absolute power to exclude from the country countr any dru drug that thal may he be In violation vio vie lation of law Jaw n or Is deemed loomed inJurious to tho the health of ot the people or tho the United tl States 5 Thc Those These e treasury decisions are arc based on reports b by the s rot T of I n agriculture of lin made h by lip the bureau of or chemistry Those These powers of oC the tho secretary of uC the lie treasury have been becis exercised eil not only over o crude drugs druG's and medicinal preparations but also over O sO- sO so ao patent ten t s these then made nt claims on the thc label of curative o that thal were ere false or misleading In any ny particular Such uch quack medicInes medicine d d. d de fraud those suffering from the tho pernicious pernicious cious clou activity of their Imagination The They do Incalculable harm to lo the misguided mis nii- guided sick wh whO grasp at nt the he false hopes they hold out our Tho secretary of tho ho treasury on the recommendation of or the department of oC agriculture Is excluding all such undesirable di l 2 If It wo we must suffer r from frum null and am be bc mulcted b by tho ho proprietors of ot nos nog- rums we ma may no now no havo have at least the tho poor pOOl comfort of knowing known that we se suLfer suL- suL fer er injury at the hands of ot our own people and that wo we keel keep In the land the tho money monc We pay to boot 1 No N 1 legis ls- ls tariff wall could m. m more mare rc effective effectively effective effective- I ly protect the te homo home Industry I Ir r regard Jard It as the tho most Important Im Immediate un- un mediate dut duty of or the tho bureau burau aa to curb tho the traffic traCI between the time states In worthless nostrums Action cHon Demanded Even en if we l In protecting n the people from quack medicines a great leat task remains This im I- Is to protect pro pro- them from rom habit forming drugs pro sucks such as opium lum on and cocaine Wu We all I r v i sau nau wo 0 s 0 all au are aro aren n agreed that something must ho bo done don to control their sale salo and amid distribution The only differences of oC opinion Concern concern con can cern the Isa best means mean of oC accomplishing this Ills end Since Sluice It 11 is often orton stated slated without t serious contradiction that only third one-third of the lie cocaine which is Imported I Is used for legitimate therapeutic thera thern- purposes all must agree that tho the situation demands drastic mea Inca Without the thc help heIr of ot the fed fed- oral crai government o no reforms can bo ho introduced ll because tho the states by 11 themselves them them- sl selves l cs can no not control the supply As lon long a as sta state to officials have no means o of ascertaining how ho mu mite h is opium and anti I cocaine Is being shipped Into tho state rind to lo whom Jt Jl Is consigned i I is ovi- ovi lent that they arc are s to limit these and anti similar drugs drug's to th their lr legitimate es mil mate tc uses V I If these drugs w were re produced In Sn this country It would be exceedingly I difficult to keep track and anti to trace tho time supply The Tho situation would be lie analogous to that of or moonshine whisk whisky It would require roll aim expensive sive sivo police force torce to control lh tho tue supply o nf If these drugs anti and It ti is s whether th this control couLl c over r be made efficient efficient- To all practical purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses all our supply of ot these drugs Is Imported It is therefore feasible If It the lie state and federal governments go co coOperate cooperate co- co operate to keep an accurate record of the talo of ot all of oC e each consignment imported through tho thi wholesaler ml nd Jobber down to the tho pharmacist physician dentist and veterinarian 1 If the federal government does doc Its share state officials will readily learn what quantities of oC opium and cocaine arc coming into Inlo the state and to whom the they are arc consigned The federal government o can bring this about b by virtue of Its taxing power or by hy Its control over Interstate and foreign commerce The Harrison on bill bin that died with the last Congress was waR based on time tho taxing power Dower proposing proposing pro plO posing as It did that each handier hande- nf these drugs must mul be bo licensed d b by the time commissioner of ot Internal revenue Tome To Tome Tome me the measure seemed a step In the rJ right hl direction And AnI I shall be he In favor o of the bill when it Is r intro intro- reintroduced introduced in tho the new Con Congress res Should it fall tu tji pass or or s should Jl It pro prove c hi- hi n n- it is certain to us result ut in iii I moro more drastic legislation c This ovI must bo be stamped out I 1 propose to use ever er every lawful means at the command o of tho thin bureau of or chemistry to accomplish this lila end I U It Is true truc that the thc foreign nostrum that Is excluded today may be bc admitted admitted admit admit- ted tomorrow If tee trie label has been purged of these objectionable features features' Nevertheless the thc effect Is excellent for fora a quack medicine which makes no cx- cx trl a ant claim on en the u. u must mustIn muslIn In or order cr to find a large sale sile mako make such claims In Sn H its advertisement ad This most of Ie time tho alien nostrums apparently ap ap- ap- ap find lIntl it Impractical to N do jo aO o that tho notion action taken b by th tho til secre setre talles of or agriculture and the thc treasury is Ia ery very generally effective in protect protect- Jn Ins ing the people from alien frauds It IlL Is far different With the domestic nostrums Because the time domestic tlC mann mann- how to advertise alvertise no existing Cell federal ral law lav can protect ople The Time henley y ne act n will we hope enable Us t compel the al of oC all false end fraudulent matter malter from the tho package r. r it ill v we hope enable us to comp l time tho removal l from the package of ot all therapeutic claims that can not be substantiated substantiate We e are arc confident that In of oC reams of or testimonials testimonIal these thes claims will shrink into Insl Insignificance n E in tho the vast majority of oC cases But if iC we succeed In this anI and we shall leave no stone unturned the time beneficial effect will be bo more morl apparent than real Indian Indian Indianapolis apolis News |