Narcotics research, rehabilitation, and treatment. Hearings, Ninety ...

355]Mr, Ingeksoll. Yes, sir; tliat is correct, and, of course, diversionoccurs at the point of cultivation and harvest.Chairman Pepper. Yes ; now, one other question, Mr. IngersoU. Youknow, this committee has pressed very hard to get the Government toimpose a quota system upon amphetamines in this country, and wehave called attention, as has the Interstate and Foreign CommerceCommittee of the House, to the fact that some 8 billion amphetaminepills are being produced in this country every year and about half ofthem have been going into the black market.We were pleased to see, therefore, that you recommended and theDepartment of Justice recently proposed an embargo, the quota system,on amphetamines and methamphetamines, as our amendment offeredin the House last year proposed to do.Now, we were unhappy, however, to observe that there were twosubstances that were left out of that proposed quota system popularlyIvnown as Preludin and Ritalin and we had the experience that Swedenhas had. When they left those two substances off of the control system,immediately abuse swept to those two drugs and they had practicallythe same situation they had before the amphetamines were controlled.^^Hiy did the Department of Justice, I presume on your recommendation,leave out Ritalin and Preludin from the quota system ?]\Ir. Ingersoll. Well, Mr. Chairman, we have given serious considerationto moving phenmetrazine and methylphenidate—Preludin andRitalin—into schedule II. But while we recognize that these drugs havehad serious potential for abuse and have been abused in other countries,we have not seen this type of abuse in the United States.Each of these drugs in the United States is manufactured by a singlemanufacturer with limited channels of distribution and, unlikethe amphetamines, the controls inherent in schedule III seem to beadequate at this time to prevent diversion and to protect the publichealth and safety.To look at it from another angle, we see that the amphetamine problemis so significant that we have focused primarily on them, but weare still continuing to investigate the abuse of methylphenidate andphenmetrazine.Chairman Pepper. Excuse me. Is there medical need for Preludinand Ritalin ? There has been shown that there is no medical need foramphetamines to speak of. What medical need justifies the continuedproduction and distribution of Preludin and Ritalin ?Mr. Ingersoll. I can ask Dr. Lewis to give you a medical answerto that question, if you would like.Chairman Pepper. We would be glad to have it because we are verymuch concerned. Would you be willing, or on the advice of yourdoctor and counsel here—we have an amendment pending that wouldput those two substances under the quota system along with amphetamines.Would you and your organization support such an amendment,Mr. Ingersoll ?Mr. Ingersoll. I think I would have to see the amendent first andexamine it first, Mr. Chairman.Chairman Pepper. Put Preludin and Ritalin in schedule II just asamphetamines are put in schedule II by the recent action of the Departmentof Justice.