ABSTRACT
In England, at the beginning of the 20th century, laws regulating drug sales were very lax, and there were hardly any limitations on sales of cocaine and heroin. There were some laws about selling and dispensing, and provisions of the 1908 Pharmacy Act made it difficult, though not impossible, for addicts and recreational users to buy drugs. Pharmacists merely had to keep records and properly label their products. In this way, British law resembled provisions of the U.S. Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906; almost any amount of any drug could be added to a patent remedy, provided the content was listed on the label. Policing was left to the pharmaceutical society, acting for the Privy Council. Cocaine could still be purchased with a prescription, but under the new laws, it was no longer possible to obtain an unlimited number of prescription refills. People who really wanted to buy drugs could, but not many did, and there was no need for extensive regulation.
