474  Acquirement  of  Drug  Habits.  {Aroc"foberPi£m' 
an  adaptation  of  the  Beal  Model  Law  and  is  perhaps  superior  to  the 
pharmacy  act  of  any  State  or  territory ;  four  cocaine  bills,  three  of 
them  uncommonly  meritorious,  Have  been  passed ;  the  druggists  of 
New  York  State  have  secured  the  enactment  of  a  liquor  law  with 
which  they  are  greatly  pleased ;  in  the  prohibition  States  of  Ver- 
mont and  New  Hampshire  the  illegal  and  promiscuous  sale  of  liquor 
has  given  way  to  its  sale  under  restrictions  which  are  at  once  wise 
and  enforceable;  provision  has  been  made  in  North  Dakota  for 
the  registration  of  apprentices  and  the  establishment  of  a  grammar 
school  requirement ;  in  California  the  unfair  and  unskilled  competi- 
tion of  hawkers  and  venders  of  medicines  has  been  lessened ;  in 
Utah  that  of  grocers  and  general  dealers  has  been  largely  elimi- 
nated ;  and  in  other  States  the  pharmacy  acts  have  been  strength- 
ened and  improved  in  various  ways.  It  is  true  that  a  number  of  ad- 
ditional measures  of  a  meritorious  nature  failed  of  success  in  different 
States,  but  on  the  other  hand  death  was  meted  out  successfully  to.  a 
host  of  bills  which,  if  made  law,  would  have  done  pharmacy  incalcu- 
lable harm.  The  year  has  altogether  been  a  year  of  progress ;  the 
wheel  has  been  turned  forwards,  not  backwards;  and  this  assurance 
should  give  us  hope  for  the  future. 
REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON  THE  ACQUIREMENT  OF 
DRUG  HABITS.1 
By  E.  G.  Eberxe,  Chairman,  and  Frederick  T.  Gordon. 
The  committee  on  May  30th  issued  the  following  circular  letter : 
The  above-named  committee  respectfully  asks  for  your  prompt 
co-operation.    It  is  entirely  unnecessary  to  impress  you  with  the 
deep  concern  which  you  have  with  us  in  obtaining  correct  data  rela- 
tive to  this  abuse,  so  that  ways  and  means  for  controlling  it  may  be 
devised. 
Last  year  a  committee  for  the  same  purpose  elicited  valuable 
information  through  the  unusually  prompt  responses  from  physicians 
and  druggists  in  designated  localities.  We  now  hope  to  meet  with 
the  same  favor  from  the  hands  of  those  we  address,  and  ask  you  to 
fill  in  the  blank  spaces  of  the  inclosed  sheet  and  make  such  remarks 
as  you  may  see  proper  in  the  premises  on  the  reverse  side. 
1  Read  at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  August, 
1903,  and  here  presented  in  part. 
