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The Online Reefer Madness Teaching Museum
PACIFIC
COAST INTERNATION:
March
1939 pg. 11
Narcotic Drugs and their relation to crime
- by H. J. Anslinger,
United States Commissioner of Narcotics
THROUGH
the combined efforts of local, State and Federal law enforcement officials and
with the cooperation of the public, substantial progress has been made against
the illicit narcotic drug traffic.
Many
police officers will be able to contrast their experience with narcotic
traffickers several years ago, and their recollection of the traffic at the
time, with the more favorable situation as it exists today.
Due to peculiar local conditions, there are, of course, isolated
instances where there has been no noticeable improvement but information at hand
indicates that the number of persons addicted to narcotic drugs has decreased by
at least one-half in the past fifteen years.
In other words, we are fighting a winning battle and there is every
reason to expect that if we all continue our efforts, the situation will show
still further marked improvement.
The
foregoing statement is not intended to convey the impression that we are not
still confronted with a serious situation worthy of our best attention.
The
narcotic drug problem should be of vital interest to all law enforcement
officers. That CRIME and NARCOTICS
are interwoven is illustrated by the fact that narcotic drug violators head the
list of all criminals in the United States having previous fingerprint records,
which include crimes ranging from vagrancy to robbery, forgery, counterfeiting,
burglary, and other serious offenses. Of
the narcotic violators arrested during the year 1937, 63 per cent had previous
records and arrests, whereas in the general arrests 42 per cent of the persons
arrested had previous fingerprint records.
On
June 30, 1937, there were 19,692 persons confined in institutions for
convictions of Federal offenses, 18,733 being males and 959 females.
Of this total, 2,055 were serving sentences imposed for violations of the
Federal narcotic drug laws, 1,629 being males and 426 females.
For
every agent in the narcotic field service, there are confined in the federal
penitentiaries and other institutions 10 convicted narcotic law violators.
This is a high record. Many
of these convicts have some of the worst criminal records in the United States
for major crimes.
It
is well established that a large proportion of the pickpockets, the shoplifters,
the professional gambles and card sharks, the confidence men operating fake
horse race or fake stock sale schemes, the "short con" men such as the
"short change artists" or the coin matchers are addicted to the use of
narcotic drugs. By the very nature
of their criminal activities, they are require to be migratory and could be
classed as a roving band of criminals. No
community seems to be free of their depredations and activities. Particularly is this true of tourist centers or other places
where large crowds.
A
good pickpocket gang can steal and will steal on an average of sixty pocketbooks
a day, and a good day's work will net them $1500 or more.
The "elite" of the confidence men, preying on the gullible, may
have incomes that reach really impressive figures.
The
records of criminals, of the types above referred to, usually disclose numerous
arrests, it is interesting to note in the majority of cases the charges were
either vagrancy or suspicion. This
no doubt due to the very nature of their criminal activities, which makes it
difficult to apprehend them in the commission of these crimes which are their
specialty and obtain sufficient evidence to secure a successful prosecution.
The criminal is released from custody by the posting of a small cash bond
and as a rule fails to appear to answer the charges.
In
view of the percentage of addiction among these criminals, it is suggested a
thorough and systematic search for narcotic drugs be made of their persons,
effects, baggage, rooms, and automobiles. The
search should be conducted by at least two officers, not only for completeness
but to assure corroboration in case of prosecution. It
should be thoroughly systematic from the head to the feet.
The suspect should be disrobed and his wearing apparel minutely examined.
(The disrobing is important because narcotic drugs have been found
attached to intimate and other parts of the prisoners anatomy.)
They also have been found concealed in hat-bands, neckties, scams of
clothing, hidden small pockets in coats, vests, trousers, and also the cuffs of
the trousers, fountain pens, and watches, as well as in the heels and inner
soles of shoes. These suggestions
apply to female as well as male suspects.
Instances
have been found where pockets of trousers, kerchiefs and sheets of paper have
been saturated with a concentrated solution of narcotic drugs assuring a supply
in case of arrest and detention. These
devices are known in the venacular as sachets.
The search of rooms and living quarters presents a more difficult problem
due to the ease with which narcotic drugs can be concealed.
Here a thorough and systematic search should be conducted, starting with
some focal point. Narcotic drugs
have been found hidden in the bottom of talcum-power cans and other cosmetic
containers, fixtures, bedsteads, window stills, chandelier, door knobs, rear of
dresser drawers, secret plants in the woodwork, and many other places too
numerous to mention.
The baggage and trunks should be searched for secret compartments.
Narcotic drugs have been found concealed in the hub-caps, rear of the
headlights, spare tires and tubes, and many other secret plants in automobiles.
Vehicles used for the transportation and concealing of narcotic drugs
under certain circumstances can be seized and forfeited to the United States
Government.
Often local officers can be of considerable assistance to this Bureau if,
when arresting narcotic dealers, they will look particularly for indications of
the source of supply of the drugs of the arrested person.
Most drugs in the illicit traffic must originally be smuggled into the
country and, therefore, it follows that dealers or users of drugs inland must be
supplied from coast or border points. Sometimes
deliveries are made by dealers in person but as often drugs may be shipped by
mail, express or baggage. Often
upon the person or premises of an arrested drugs dealer will be found
communications, usually written in a guarded manner, as well as telephone
numbers and addresses. Since
wholesale drug dealers in distributing centers often play a comparatively safe
game by shipping drugs to distant points only, and without catering to any local
trade, information of the sort above indicated, if conveyed to your local
Federal Narcotic Agent or to the District Supervisor of this Bureau for your
locality, may prove to be particularly helpful in the location and eventual
apprehension of the distant illicit drugs wholesaler.
In this connection it should be borne in mind that ordinary trade or
geographical consideration do not always govern in the distribution of illicit
narcotic drugs. An individual on
the Pacific Coast, close to a seaport where it ordinarily would be considered
there was available a supply of narcotics, may nevertheless send to New York for
his drugs because of price or personal considerations.
Documentary evidence of the sort above referred to, as well as all
narcotic drugs found should be dully identified by all the seizing or searching
officers, so as to assure their introduction as evidence.
All city, state and county officers should become familiar with their own
State Narcotic Law. It is uniform
in many states, usually contained broad police powers. Knowledge of this law can be invaluable in the apprehension
and prosecution of a large number of criminals of the types described above.
MARIHUANA
From a vice which was
comparatively unknown in the United States ten years ago marihuana smoking has
spread widely and with some rapidity. As
to its effects marihuana has aptly been termed an
unpredictable drug has. Its
reactions in various smokers range from a mild intoxication to a maniacal rage.
There have been cases of assaults and attempted assaults upon police
officers in connection with the arrest of persons under the influence of
marihuana. The steady smoking of
marihuana brings about mental deterioration.
Some indication of the wide-spread existence of the abuse of marihuana is
shown by the fact that during the year 1938 the Federal Bureau of Narcotics
arrested 1,088 persons for trafficking in this drug.
In Pacific Coast areas these arrests were as follows: Seattle District
55; San Francisco 104; Denver District 67.
Officers
unfamiliar with marihuana sometimes experience difficulty in its identification.
The Treasury Department has prepared a booklet entitled
"Marihuana---Its Identification" which will assist in the
identification of marihuana from a physical standpoint.
Officers
desiring to obtain this booklet may do so by writing to this Bureau or by
communicating with the District Supervisor, Bureau of Narcotics at one of the
following points: Seattle, Washington, (States of Washington, Oregon, Montana
and Idaho); San Francisco, California, (States of California and Nevada);
Denver, Colorado, (States of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico).
If
any difficulty is encountered by police departments or local chemists in
identifying marihuana, we shall, upon receipt of a telegram, be pleased to send
a chemist to assist.
We
wish to cooperate with local and state officers at all times to the full extent
of our resources and hope that they will feel free to call upon us at any time
they believe we can be of service to them or when they have a situation which
they believe should have our attention.
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