‘DANGEROUS AND ABSURD’

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 483, 12 October 1928, Page 1

‘DANGEROUS AND ABSURD’

Auckland Chemists Challenge Ex-Drug Addict’s Statements

GUARDING PUBLIC'S INTERESTS

rIE published statements of an ex-drug addict to the effect that “sleep-producing” narcotics could be procured in small, but dangerous, quantities from retail chemists in Auckland, is resented by chemists themselves, and by the two local members of the Pharmacy Board. The statements, which were made to The Sun by the Rev. C. G. Scrimgeour, Methodist City Missioner, were described as being “utterly absurd and dangerous.”

Just how little traffic in ‘'dope" there is in Auckland was explained by the two members of the Pharmacy Board. Messrs. E. Smith and H. T. King, both of whom defended the profession strenuously, and related their endeavours as members of the board to secure definite evidence of this traffic. In spite of careful investigation over a period of five years, they said, the board had been unable to bring sufficient evidence before the authorities to form a concrete case showing abuse of retail poison sales by chemists. “The statements published by the ex-addict through the Rev. Sorimgeour about' narcotics are absurd, and not a little dangerous,” Mr. King said. “It is absurd to say tha.t habitforming drugs are obtainable in any Quantities over the counter, and still more so to assume that a man may purchase a legal quantity from every chemist in the city. He might do so for the first week, but after that he is found out, and the chemists close down upon him.” BOARD SUPPRESSING DOPE Mr. Smith outlined the endeavours of the board to tighten up the regulations governing the sale and use of poisons and dangerous drugs. After 10 years of hard work it was only recently that any tangible progress had been made toward the restrictions which the profession required effectively to prevent the sale of the goods. “I am afraid that statements like those published by the Rev. Scrimgeour will undermine much of the good work which has been done,” Mr. Smith maid. “Chemists will not sell any of the habitforming narcotics without a doctor’s prescription, and that prescription- has to be identified as a genuine-one,' otherwise no transaction will occur.' “Chemists are jealous of their reputations, and jealous of''the public interest. They have the general welfare at heart, ana while there might be one or two black sheep in the flock, this does not condemn the whole flock. If the black sheep is caught, of course, he will be dealt with severely. It has happened in the past. It is absurd to make wild general

statements such as these. We are willing to co-operate with Mr. Scrimgeour if he will give us the facts. We are searching for the facts, and cannot find sufficient. If he has the facts of specific cases, then we will help.” CHEMISTS WARNED Examples of how chemists are warned against supplying certain individuals with “dope” was given to The Sun investigator this morning. A man was found to have visited one or two chemists for a mixture to adm/ister to his horse. It was suspected that the malady requiring the potion was not confined to the horse. A notice went around the chemists: “Please do not supply such-and-such for Mr. So-and-So.’s horse.” That was enough. “The horse” got no more “dope.” Chemists in all parts of the city were emphatic in their denunciation of the ex-addict’s charge, and took careful steps to illustrate their precautions against drug fiends. “It is a slur against chemists,” declared one man, “and will tend only to make people inquire for stuff. But chemists are awake, and they will not get away with it.” ALCOHOL IN “PATENTS” “I have been on Queen Street for five years,” one man said, “and I could count on my fingers the inquiries I have had for ‘dope’ during that time.” Others said they turn down fairly frequent inquiries for potions which contain morphia, laudanum, opium, and cocaine in various quantities. There was singularly little confirmed drugtaking in this city, they said, although a few people were known to be given to imbibing it in different forms. In a reference to the ex-addict’s statements about patent medicines containing 60 per cent, of morphia, Mr. H. A. Bagley, a chemist of 30 years’ standing, now in Queen Street, said this was ridiculous. “Patent medicines do not contain nearly as much proof alcohol as people are given to believe,” he said, “and in the main they are perfectly harmless. I believe, however, that none but chemists should be allowed to sell patent medicines. This would place them under the one control, and any sale would be regulated.”