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SALE  OF   POISONS  IN  VERMONT. 
Being  the  principal  Druggist  in  this  part  of  Vermont,  and  feeling 
a  lively  interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  profession  of 
pharmacy,  I  take  this  opportunity  to  present  a  few  remarks  in 
connection  with  the  subjects  under  inquiry. 
1st.  You  ask  "  whether  any  State  or  municipal  laws  exist  re- 
gulating the  sale  of  poisons  ?"  I  answer  that  no  law  exists  in  the 
State  of  Vermont,  either  regulating  or  restricting  the  sale  of 
•poisons.  Indeeed,  the  terms  sale  of  poisons,  selling  poisons,  &c, 
do  not  exist  in  the  compiled  statutes  of  Vermont. 
2d.  "  If  not,  does  any  voluntary  conservative  action  have  place 
among  druggists  and  apothecaries,  and  if  so,  how  far  ?"  The  le- 
gitimate drug  establishments  of  the  State  are  few;  the  proprietors  of 
those  few  establishments,  however,  sell  no  poisons  without  properly 
marking  them  as  such.  Indeed,  I  am  credibly  informed,  no  article 
leaves  their  shops  without  its  appropriate  mark  or  label.  Of  my 
own  mode  of  dispensing  poisons,  &c,  I  will  speak  hereafter. 
3d.  "  To  what  extent  do  grocers  and  general  shopkeepers  re- 
tail arsenic  and  other  poisons  used  for  destroying  animal  life  ?" 
In  most  of  the  larger  towns  of  this  State  general  shopkeepers  are 
found  who  dabble  in  drugs  and  medicines,  and  in  the  small  towns 
you  find  little  stores,  in  which  drugs,  &c,  are  mixed  up  with  all 
sorts  of  merchandize.  At  all  of  these  shops  you  can  buy  arsenic, 
opium,  and  at  many  of  them  strychnia  can  be  obtained.  Poisons 
are  not  marked  at  all  by  these  general  dealers,  and  it  is  really 
surprising  that  so  few  accidents  occur  from  such  gross  carelessness. 
Having  thus  briefly  answered  your  questions,  permit  me  to  pre- 
sent my  own  method  of  dispensing  poisons  and  medicines  gene- 
rally. 
1st.  In  dispensing  poisons,  I  have  made  it  an  invariable  regu- 
lation, to  enclose  the  article  within  three  wrappers,  the  outside 
wrapper  being  properly  marked  to  designate  the  contents  of  the 
package.  Of  the  active  mineral  poisons,  arsenic  is  much  the  more 
frequently  called  for  by  the  common  people.  I  have  a  book  which 
I  call  Arsenic  Sales  Book,  in  which  I  register  the  date  of  sale, 
name  of  buyer,  quantity  sold,  amount  received  in  payment,  with  a 
column  for  remarks.  The  other  active  mineral  poisons  are  but 
seldom  called  for  by  the  common  people,  yet,  if  sold,  they  are  also 
marked  properly.  Of  the  vegetable  poisons,  opium  is  the  only  one 
called  for  to  any  extent,  and  I  sell  this  drug  in  a  much  greater 
