Page "Harrison Narcotics Tax Act" Paragraph 8

By 1914, the problem had grown to the point where an estimated one U. S. citizen in 400 ( 0. 25 %) was addicted to some form of opium.

The opium addicts were mostly women who were prescribed and dispensed legal opiates by physicians and pharmacist for ” female problems ,” probably mostly pain at menstruation, or white men and Chinese at the Opium dens.

Between two-thirds and three-quarters of these addicts were women.

By 1914, forty-six states had regulations on cocaine and twenty-nine states had laws against opium, morphine, and heroin.