DRUG ADDICT HAS CRAVING THAT HE CANNOT PUT DOWN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18013, 25 November 1926, Page 6

DRUG ADDICT HAS CRAVING THAT HE CANNOT PUT DOWN.

PARROT ON SHOULDER AT POLICE STATION. (Special to the “ Star.") SYDNEY, November 16. Wearing big horn-rimmed spectacles, and with a green Mexican parrot perched on his shoulder, one of the strangest figures that have come into contact with the police paced nervously up and down the charge-room of the Central Police Station to-da3 T . He was a young man, of extremely thin build, and Detectives Wickham and Thompson, of the recently-formed police drug bureau, had taken him :‘n hand in an effort to rid him of his craving for narcotics. Some time ago the victim came to Australia as a racing motorist. Be fore coming here he spent months in hospital as the result of a bad accident, and he attributes his craving to the drugs which it was necessary to give him during his illness. He is alleged to have taken as much as forty grains of morphine in a day, but under medical treatment his injections have been reduced to sixteen grains daily. He had a doctor’s certificate to enable him to obtain certain drugs, one of which, hyo seine hydrobromide, is for the purpose of satisfying the craving, while it leaves no after-effects. To cut off supplies suddenly would be disastrous, and in whatever treat meht is given him, gradually diminish ing injections will have to be a part. The victim is a talented pianist, and told the detectives that he played to soothe his nerves. When his room in Darlinghurst was visited this morning bis piano was returned to the firm from which he- was buying it Ilis luggage was taken with him. together with the parrot in its cage. But kt the Central Police Station he removed the bird, and it perched con tentedly on his shoulder, pecking at his collar and his ears while he paced restlessly round the room. He could not remain still for more than seconds at a time.

The victim is a man of good education. with a passion for letter writing in which he shows much literary ability.