^obeiS1"'}        Acquirement  of  Drug  Habits.  483 
done.  We  will  quote  from  a  few:  "The  importation  of  smoking 
opium  should  be  stopped."  "  Absolute  withdrawal  of  the  repeatedly 
offending  druggists'  license  is  the  only  remedy."  "  Prevent  the  sale 
of  the  narcotics  except  by  licensed  pharmacist  on  a  physician's 
prescription,  which  should  be  registered  and  kept  for  inspection." 
"  Let  us  restrict  the  sale  of  the  narcotics  first  and  afterward  the 
patent  and  proprietary  medicines  containing  them."  "  Let  the 
physician  be  prosecuted  as  well  as  the  druggist,  if  aiding  the  habit." 
Denver  reports:  "In  this  city  we  have  a  very  stringent  city  ordi- 
nance in  addition  to  the  State  law  prohibiting  the  sale  of  opium  and 
cocaine,  and  it  is  made  an  offense  by  the  city  ordinance  to  sell  either 
of  the  above  drugs  without  the  authority  of  a  prescription  from  a 
reputable  physician.  This  ordinance  has  been  followed  up  by  detec- 
tive work  by  the  Wayside  Mission — which,  by  the  way,  is  a  chari- 
table institution  of  this  city  for  caring  for  the  victims  of  this  habit — 
and  it  has  become,  if  not  impossible,  quite  difficult  for  victims  of 
the  above  drugs  to  obtain  supplies.  They  are,  of  course,  obtainable, 
regardless  of  the  law,  but  under  such  police  surveillance  as  to  bring 
the  sale  down  to  minimum." 
No  doubt  Prof.  J.  H.  Beal,  to  whom  the  model  cocaine  law  has 
been  referred,  will  call  attention  to  restrictions  in  the  various  States, 
and  to  refer  to  these  here  would  simply  mean  repetition.  The 
chairman  believes  that  stringent  State  legislation  providing  fine  and 
imprisonment  with  surrender  of  license  to  practise  medicine  and 
pharmacy  is  the  best  means  to  control  this  vice.  Legislation  has  a 
tendency  to  induce  secret  sale  by  individuals,  therefore  various  kinds 
of  punishment  are  necessary.  It  does  not  seem  practical  for  the 
Government  to  assume  supervision  of  the  sale  other  than  perhaps 
by  legislation,  if  the  States  fail  in  the  necessary  control.  If  handled 
like  the  cigar  tax,  it  would  avail  little ;  if  like  spirits,  the  plan  would 
be  exceedingly  cumbersome  and  expensive,  if  not  impractical,  not 
only  for  the  Government,  but  also  for  the  druggists,  and  the  business 
details  of  the  latter  are  such  that  even  now  a  large  gross  profit  nets 
only  insignificant  returns.  You  are  no  doubt  aware  that  in  the 
larger  cities,  and  possibly  in  the  smaller,  cocaine  is  served  on  request 
in  drinks,  and  indications  are  that  in  places  of  this  character  all  these 
drugs  are  supplied.  The  concluding  remarks  which  the  chairman 
would  make  are  interwoven  in  some  of  those  made  by  his  col- 
league and  are  the  result  of  his  careful  study  and  investigation. 
They  follow : 
