THE DRUG SCANDAL.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16472, 15 March 1919, Page 10

THE DRUG SCANDAL.

(From Melbourne "Argus" Correspondent.) , LONDON, January 3. During the last month there have been several romarkable revelations regarding tho growing drug habit. There is always, in every big city, an underworld of evil, and it would be false to say that London is worse than other capitals. But every now and then the public are surprised at the revelation of some widesproad offence which had not been suspected. The renting of swell West End houses for gambling clubs; the orgies at Ciro's; the rackoting and of dance parties which sometimes lead almost to riot in one or two of our very first hotels, are incidents that disturb the moralist, but which a man of the world looks upon as the froth of an overstrained condition of society. The spread of the drug habit is worse than gambling or the ebullitions of a few excited dancers. It is not difficult to explain. In part, it is due to the increased restrictions in the Bale of beer, wines, and ■ spirits.: In some cases the taking of narcotics is a reaction against, the strain which" has j fallen upon many persons through the war. But the chief cause . can be traced to the hospitals. Thousands of j shell-shocked soldiers and other wounded men suffering from sleeplessness have been supplied with drugs while lying in tho hospitals in France. Paraldehyde, opium, veronal, and cocoaine are more frequently administered, and are more easily obtainable in the French hospitals thaii in England. Th© effect of these narcotics is so fascinating that a patient easily becomes a permanent victim, and every medical man knows the tricks to .which, people will resort to obtain the forbidden thing. Within recent years the law has provided heavy penalties for anyone convicted of' dealing in opium, and the Defence of the Realm Act forbade traffic in cocaine,' opium, and other narcotics. ' Nevertheless, such is the craze for these drugs that there are smugglers who openly parade Bome of the West End streets for the purpose of selling cocaine or opium to purchasers whom they can trust. An article which a'-few years ago brought 15s an ounce now brings £10, and sometimes thrice that sum.,

Much light has been thrown upon, this drug habit through an inquest on' Miss Stewart, better known as "Billie Carleton, a popular actress at the halls, and through a'prosecution that followed j her death. It has been revealed that "Billie" Carleton was one of a email group of degenerates who met together for orgies of opium smoking. Five or six of these people assembled at a Dover street (Piccadilly) flat, kept by Mr and Mrs Reggie de Veulle, on the evening of the Victory Ball held at the Albert Hall on November 27th. "Billie" Carleton "was present at the-ball. Before midnight she joined a supper party ■which had already gathered at Dover street. After supper the people arranged themselves tor, opium smoking, lllho men dressed in pyjamas and tli« women in chiffon nignt-dresses. Large cushions were strewn about the floor, and a woman named Mrs Lo Ping You (a Scots girl married to a Chinese) acted as hign priestess for the orgy. She iprepareu the opium, lit the pipes, moved from couch to couch, and attended to the smokers' wants. She was equipped with opium needle, lamp, and all the usual accessories. The orgy went on from .9 in the evening till 3 the following afternoon. Carleton was a late-comer. "When she. left Dover street she went to her own flat, and a few hours afterwards her maid found her dead in bed. Mrs Lo Ping You lias been prosecuted under the Defence of the Realm Act for administering opium, and the magistrate sentenced ner to five months' imprison- , ment with hard labour. When the police searched her husband's shop Jn Limehouse Causeway they discovered! opium pipes, opium, and abundant other evidence that the place was an opium tlen. The man himself was a physical wreck through opium smoking. Ha was fined £10. These two prosecutions have directed attention to other cases. In one instance a place and apparatus for opium smoking were found behind an Oriental curiosity shop near Grosvenor square. In another case.a person Mas punished with a few weeks' imprisonment for selling cocaine in Jlie streets. Several cases havo been reported of nurses who have contracted the drug habit through overwork ill hospitals. There lias been a newspaper outcry on the subject, and a demand for severer penalties and increased restrictions of sale. The special kind of opium required for smoking is smuggled into this country from China by sailors and Chinese passengers. There are not a few dens in the East End where opium is surreptitiously used, and there are middle and upper class victims of this drug who know these places' and visit them by stealth.