Those who are responsible for our laws should remember that the possible interpretation and administration of the laws they draught are very important considerations, and determine the real effect of the laws often more than does the intent of the makers. Legislation which is unduly stringent or is capable of unduly stringent administration may have unfortunate reaction and influence upon honest effort in the care of the deserving sick. Restricting beyond reasonable limits the care of the honest narcotic drug addict simply tends to make it impracticable and dangerous for the average medical man to have anything to do with narcotic addicts, and to drive the honest and deserving patient into the underworld, into the insane asylum or to suicide. Until we have provided scientific and clinical study, and have thoroughly investigated present and possible medical treatment and handling of narcotic-drug addiction-disease, and have established humane and effective therapeutic measures and procedures in the control and remedy of this disease, we should not deprive the majority of honest addicts of the only medication and means by which they can at present remain self-supporting citizens. The handling of the problem of the underworld and of underground supply is not going to be solved by too restrictive regulation of the honest physician. Legislation or regulation which makes it practically impossible for the honest physician to care for the honest case of addiction-disease is a boon to charlatans, and medical shysters, and the illicit underworld traffic. It is the opinion of some that the handling and treatment of narcotic addiction should be taken out of the hands of the practitioner of medicine. The statement is made that the practitioner of medicine is not competent to handle a case of this disease. It has been advised that the treatment of narcotic addicts should be restricted to a small number of specially designated and licensed men and institutions. How and by whom are those special men and institutions to be selected? In the present state of chaotic and widely diversified medical and lay opinion as to narcotic addiction and the narcotic addict it would be a very difficult matter to select the men or the institutions for such absolute control. The comprehension, study and investigation of narcotic drug addiction has entered a stage of evolution and development in which new facts and new truths--both as to the addict and as to the condition from which he suffers--are being recognized and must be threshed out, correlated and coordinated with hitherto existing opinion before too restrictive measures will be anything but narrow-visioned, premature and harmful.