Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1919-08-12 | Page 4 | Our Drug Menace

Our Drug Menace 1 enuce I IS I IS S SHOCKING HOCKING facts about the tue widespread use lISO of or habit habit- formin forming drugs arc are supplied in plenty by hy the time special committee which has hns just made a report to the commissioner commis commis- of internal revenue on H TIme The The Traffic in Narcotic Drugs They arc are facts which should make all thoughtful thought thought- ful people realize that here is isa a problem requiring most careful handling San Francisco lancisco is represented in most ugly fashion in this thE wide nation problem A recent rai raid on a local supply station in the time underground distributing system in in that city is proof of that were there no other I evidence available Part of this business is ours Although Although Al Al- I thou though h no such extensive system of drug distribution I exists in Utah sl still ll th the problem is here to some e extent md ml will grow row if not stamped out V Ve We c must do our share towards eradicating the wide nation evil There are more than a 1 quarter million dru addicts in lI the nation under treatment by physicians for their addiction according to this fe federal eral report Of these more than a hundred arc in Utah It Jt can easily be bo un Un- that only n a small percentage of dru drug users users ever go to physicians for treatment They keep on usually until they die the thc miserable death that drugs brin bring men meu to So the committee estimates that actually there arc are about drug a addicts in the nation These dope fiends spend each year ear about for the tIlO drugs they obtain J It II r one adds to this thi the economic economie loss to the tho nation to Ix be inferred by the loss of labor of these I I dope victims runn runnIng running into hundreds of or millions they the y financial phase of this d degrading ading traffic can cun be bo some somewhat some what sImat understood One legitimately may be bo less interested in the thc financial finan finan- cial phases of or the Che he question than in iu the purely human buman And one ma may too be less interested in the present vie vic ie- ie I t the I IC recruiting OL of l' l new of f preventing t. t thus tims lIDS titan than Ifill in iii means menn 0 has S in in- in- in the thc federal report an victims In 11 this particular the in in which the dope tak table showing showing- ways lt formed In the order of their im importance im- im in lag ing habits arc fir first t n these arc 1 1 Through h doctors' doctors prescriptions 2 Use of dis diseases 3 Prohibition 4 As Association As As- drug rn for chronic ases I 5 Patent medicines 6 Prostitution I 7 For stimulation 8 S Out of curiosity The fhe prescriptions o of physicians come first Doctors of start most of ot time the quite without intention course road roul which leads down into dope addicts on t I ho he dread it u isn ISa is isa misery and degradation tho the Jow lowest t pit lit of human with which they a n terrible indictment of the recklessness recklessness' play flay with rith dope It should hoI mean nican definite action by ly med nied- medical mcd ical associations to curb Curl this tIlLS recklessness among their thick memberships They should concentrate on wherever where possible the time use of ol fewer hab habit forming t n drugs in m their thick results more slowly treatments t even on if come corne ri a Pat i 1