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Narcotic Evils and Legislation.
The control of the sale of narcotics is
one that is now occasioning a great deal
of difficulty to the police authorities of the
entire country. We have in our columns of
late been calling attention to numerous ob-
jections to many of the bills which have
been enacted at the behest of druggists or
the clauses that have been appended to other
bills, which interfere with the dispensing of
drugs by physicians. Among others, we
long ago pointed out some objections to
such a law passed in Ohio. The druggists
and physicians in that state are now finding
out how badly that law works. The Lancet-
Clinic for November 29, 1913, calls attention
to certain discrepancies in that law. In the
comment on the inadequacy of the bill the
editor of the above-named publication says
-what we have pointed out frequently-

WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 17, 1913.

Dr. C. F. Taylor, Philadelphia, Pa.:

DEAR DOCTOR :-I have yours of the 15th instant

regarding the antinarcotic bills. These bills do
not require reintroduction as you suggest in your
letter. Congress is a continuous proceeding, not-
withstanding adjournment, of the two years of
the life of a Congress, and the bills hold over
from one session to another until Congress ex-
pires by limitation, which in the case of the pres-
ent Congress will be on March 4, 1915.

The antinarcotic bills referred to by you have
passed the House of Representativs and have
been pending before the Finance Committee of the
Senate. There have been three such bills and two
of them have been favorably reported by the
Finance Committee, and the other will doubtless
be acted upon favorably in due time as I know
of no opposition to it, except that I believe some
physicians from Ohio want to be heard on it,
I am sending you, under separate cover, the
bills as they were reported from the Committee to
the Senate with certain amendments put in by the
Committee, together with the report of the sub-
committee of the Finance Committee on the same,
for your information.

No legislation could be considered during the
special session of Congress except the tariff meas-
ure and a few appropriation bills, and later on
the Currency bill. The special session was called
expressly for the consideration of tariff and cur-
rency legislation and the Senate has been sitting
continuously since the 4th of last March and, of
course, had no opportunity for consideration of
any other measures except the pending ones. The
tariff bill has now become a law and it is hoped
the Currency bill will be disposed of at an early
date. This will permit the consideration of gen-
eral legislation and the antinarcotic bills will
doubtless be taken up at an early date and acted
upon favorably. Yours truly,

BOIES PENROSE.

The bills sent by Senator Penrose were
the Harrison bill, H. R. 6282, known as the
national antinarcotic bill; H. R. 1967, Sen-
ate No. 105, regulating the manufacture of
smoking opium, the report of the committee
on the same; and H. R. 1966, Senate No.

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