DOPE VICTIMS.

Grey River Argus, 22 February 1927, Page 2

DOPE VICTIMS.

15,000 IN NEW YORK. NEW YORK, Feb. 20. The Narcotic Bureau of the Police Department announced that there are approximately fifteen thousand drug addicts in New York. There were 2689 arrests in 1926, ninety per cent, of whom had criminal records, rdng’ng to homicide. Only ten per cent of the

users of narcotics arc women. A group of three millionaire finan

ciers arrange the importation of orugs to America. These arc very mud! adulterated, and are sold to addicts at exorbitant prices. Heroin sells at thirty-five dollars an ounce and cocaine at forty dollars an ounce in the streets of the city. Drug use is by no means limited to criminals. Many persons of high social standing, well educated and possessing notable intellectual attributes, are among the addicts.

The report concludes that n-.sdirecl-cd curiosity is the most frequent cause of the drug habit.