Heroin In The 1960s

Heroin, a powerful narcotic, acts upon the brain as a painkiller, increasing physical addiction and ongoing emotional dependence (Schaffer Library of…). Heroin has many challenging and highly risky effects on the user, all the more hazardous if overdosing is present. This extremely dangerous drug, heroin, will never cease being used, but may cease the existence of an individual.

This paper is intended to educate those who almost nothing about heroin and those who use it. Many people have been associated with friends or families who have used some kind of drug. There are many people who have not had any contact with heroin users or if they have, don’t understand much about it. Using various sources about heroin to explain where it came from, how it is used, who uses it and how a person starts on the path towards heroin, preventing addiction, and global issues surrounding this drug. Although the topic of heroin is inexhaustible, it is my hope to spark reader’s curiosity. Knowledge of this drug might just help the reader join in on discussions about heroin.

Heroin itself can be taken in three ways, injecting a solution of heroin and water into your vein, snorting it, or inhaling it. A person will receive maximum effects if they inject it. Basically heroin makes people feel as if they are in a state of Euphoria for a small amount of time, and cause people to be drowsy warm and content, which kind of detaches you from pain.

Heroin overdoses, have become a bigger issue over the last few years. Heroin is made from morphine, which itself is a very powerful and addictive drug. In an article on nlm.nih.gov they found that around .6% of people between the ages of 15-64 use heroin. About 23 percent of people who use the drug become dependent on it. Overdoses frequently involve suppression

Heroin was initially created by Charles Wright in 1874 to combat Morphine addiction amongst Civil War soldiers. The commercial production of heroin began in 1898, by the Bayer Pharmaceutical Company, and their “sales pitch” persuaded people that Heroin was a “safe, non-addictive” substitute for morphine, therefore, gaining popularity amongst healthcare professionals and their morphine addicted patients. As a result, numerous

I spoke with a good friend of mine Robert Ramos about this issue. He is a recently retired, 17-year veteran of the Attleboro Police Force in Massachusetts. He stated the problem is that with the addition of Fentanyl, a painkiller, heroin has gained an increase in popularity and has become more fatal. Overdoses from heroin laced with the painkiller Fentanyl jumped to new levels across New England over this past year.

During his research, Quinones documents the origin of opiate use within the United States in three areas: drug cartels, overprescription from medical practitioners, and the pharmaceutical companies. He claims that illegal use spurred from drug cartels when he notes, “... heroin in Denver originated in one small town in Mexico… a town called Xalisco” (43). However, even though opioids were common in the black market, the drug cartels were not the sole culprits of increasing the risk of addiction. Many Americans used the drugs for medicinal reasons. In a town named Portsmouth, people grew increasingly dependent on opiates during the 90s: “In this part of the country, anything that relieved pain was welcome. But opiates … quickly led to addiction” (Quinones 26). People that were just looking for some treatment soon had a deadlier problem on their hands— addiction. Since the public was looking for a solution for pain, the pharmaceutical companies were hungry to promote opioids for pain management. The industry, according to Quinones, was just starting to produce the deadly drug, and wanted the public to use its

Heroin was once considered a dirty back alley drug, far from leafy suburban streets. Now a epidemic is arising, making heroin usage a health crisis amongst our youth. Heroin has spread from the slums to the suburbs because of the significantly increased use of prescription painkillers. Heroin is cheaper in comparison to medically prescribed opiates like OxyContin and Vicodin. Heroin is an epidemic spreading into suburban towns and destroying homes and communities. We should have more prevention programs in our school systems, provide greater access to drug treatments and send more nonviolent drug offenders to treatment instead of jail.

The heroin epidemic in America has been an issue for decades. According to narconon.org, the heroin epidemic truly began in the Wild West during the 1800’s. Many scholars believe that Chinese immigrants brought the drug to America. Morphine is a derivative of heroin, and during the civil war, many soldiers, both northern and confederate, was injured and became addicted to the drug after being treated with it. It was from opium that morphine, a derivative, was developed as a pain killer in approximately 1810. It was considered a wonder drug because it eliminated severe pain associated with medical operations or traumatic injuries. It left the user in a completely numb euphoric dream-state. Dr. F.W.A. Serturner named the drug morphine, after

The media portrays opioid abuse as a new dilemma, but it actually extends as far back as 1898 when Bayer Co. produced heroin, a drug made from opium, and commercialized it to be a “wonder drug” for those in need of pain relief (Moghe 2016). Today, heroin is known to be a dangerous, illegal, and addictive drug. Before doctors

“In 2002, 404,000 people used heroin in the United States. By 2016, there were 948,000 people. This is a 135% increases in the past 14 years” (Kounang). I decided to research about heroin, because I want to know what heroin is and which celebrities have done it and survived or died. I knew it was an addictive drug that many people overdose on. There was a lot of misconceptions that I had about heroin. Originally I thought heroin users become addicted instantly. I still have some questions about heroin. Why is heroin so popular? Who has done it? Even though some people think heroin is not bad, people should not take heroin because it's a highly effective drug and tons of people are dying from overdosing.

The widespread availability of heroin and relatively low price have caused a heroin epidemic. Unfortunately, this problem affects big cities and small towns across the country. While some people try heroin after developing a painkiller addiction, other people become addicted after experimenting with the drug.

Almost half of those who suffer from heroin addiction began initially by using prescription painkillers. 75% of users state that they tried heroin because of its low cost and great availability.

Heroin, derived from morphine, is classified in the opioid family of painkilling drugs, made from the opium poppy plant, specifically the opium from the sap of the plant which is harvested from the seed pods after the flower falls off. The opium poppy is generally grown in Southeast Asia, Mexico, the Middle East and parts of Central and South America (Weintraub 16). Opium was used in the past in countries such as Egypt as a “cure-all” drug and a poison; It was then sold to parts of China and used as a recreational drug that had many users addicted and ruined their lives (Weintraub 16-17). A majority of the heroin in the United States today is smuggled in from South America and Mexico, and is coming over in record amounts

Heroin is not new. In fact, the first growth and cultivation of opium dates back to around 3400 B.C. during the ancient Mesopotamian age. Tom Carnwath briefly discusses the origin of this now over-powering substance in his book “Heroin Century”. Carnwarth mentions that at one point in history even the Romans used it for tinctures, tablets, poultices, and lozenges. It wasn’t consistently being used until the sixteenth-century when physician Paracelsus began to prescribe it to his patients as he