Pubdate: Sat, 07 Feb 2015 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2015 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Chris Zdeb Page: A2 This Day in Journal History Feb. 7, 1911: OPIUM USE ON THE DECLINE IN EDMONTON Edmonton had opium "fiends" in the early 1900s, but city police said that by 1911 they found comparatively little of the drug in use. They hadn't made any raids on opium dens for a long time, "but don't run away with the idea that this town is free from the disease," one authority told the Journal. "I think disease is a good word. A man addicted to dope is certainly a sore affliction. "On many occasions prisoners appear before us who 'blow the snow.' Most opium, if there is any, will be found in Chinese laundries. But it seems that those fond of drugs take more to morphia than opium. It is pretty hard work to smuggle opium in this country at present, the laws being so stringent at Vancouver." The policeman then told the story of a criminal charged with highway robbery who overcame his addiction by being jailed. The charge against the man would have normally netted him a few months in jail, but the magistrate thought the only remedy for his addiction was prison so sentenced him to two years. "The penitentiary made a man of him," said the officer. "He is a clever, bright fellow today holding down a good position and has fully overcome the habit of taking dope. So it seems that the cure was a good one. It ought to be prescribed often." A story the next day described the war in Montreal against the selling of cocaine. The drug was prohibited from being sold in all drug stores in Canada, but cases had been discovered where druggists had sold "dope" to applicants in Montreal. A prominent Edmonton druggist told the Journal he'd been frequently asked for cocaine a year or two earlier. "The law prohibits us from selling it and consequently fiends don't bother us now. I suppose they resort to other drugs." As for opium, the law governing its sale was similar to that governing the sale of any poison, the druggist said. "An applicant is forced to sign a book on purchasing any quantity, and he is to be responsible. Also the druggist should know where the drug is going and what purpose it is to serve." A well-known city doctor said he had treated four habitual dope users in the past year. One woman had first taken the drug to deaden pain and then got hooked. That's why there was always secrecy about what medications a patient was given, so they couldn't get more after they got well and become addicted, he explained. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom