Essays on Heroin

Abstract

The research paper discusses the origin and nature of methadone, including the historical aspect of its development and further commercial and scientific use. The paper also describes the pharmacology of methadone, including the route of administration of the drug, its metabolism and its mechanism of action. Next section of the paper explains the experience in medical use of methadone, as it`s a great alternative to the painkillers based on the opiates, it plays a major role in the therapy of maintaining and replacement and treating the withdrawals syndromes. The positive effects on the pregnant patients are also described Continue reading...

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Opium is a strong drug, derived from the sun-dried milky juice extracted from the unripe pods of the opium poppy. Contains about 20 alkaloids. In traditional medicine, due to the high content of morphine alkaloids used as a strong painkiller. However, he quickly called drug addiction and is now used only as a raw material for medicines (morphine, codeine, papaverine, and others), as well as for the synthesis of the drug heroin.

SLIDE 3

The first mention of opium was fixed 300th year BC. Opium was used in ancient Greece, its analgesic properties were mentioned by Hippocrates. The use of opium Continue reading...

Having an addiction of any kind is dangerous. However, one kind of addiction that involves the most amount of health risk is drug addiction. Drug addiction is an ill that can rear its ugly head no matter who you are, and that is reason enough to take notice of it. Sadly though, despite what many people would like to believe, addiction to drugs is still very much a part of modern society, and the numbers surrounding the addiction are mind boggling to say the least. According to figures provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, around Continue reading...

The Opium Poppy, also known as Papaver somniferum, grows mainly in dry & warm climates. The color of the flowers of this plant is red and purple and they mainly grow across southern Asia from Turkey through Pakistan and Laos, where the weather conditions are more favorable for their cultivation . In the US, it is mostly grown in South America. It belongs to family Papaveraceae, Genus Papaver, and species somniferum.
Some people may question the legality of opium poppy because as most people know, the drug derived from the flower is heroin. There is a process in which three months Continue reading...

Drug Trafficking

The illegal trade of drugs in black markets is perhaps one of the most profitable businesses globally. It involves the cultivation, processing, sale and distribution of drugs that are all subject to prohibition laws in the different countries. Trade in most jurisdictions is mostly allowed only under license through drug prohibition laws. According to reports from the United Nations, the global drug trade generated an estimated total of US $321.6 billion back in 2003 which was one of the highest in history. In the same year, the illegal trade generated a world Gross Domestic Product of US$36 trillion Continue reading...

Following the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman in February of 2014, media outlets in America and elsewhere filled with news of it. Alongside this news were claims that there was an uptick of heroin usage in the United States. Virtually all media centers seemed to point to the possibility of an uptrend in the use of heroin in contrast to that of its relatives in the opioid group. The media claimed that there were new warnings from health officials in the US of an impending confirmation on a heroin epidemic. According to some of the health officials interviewed, the Continue reading...

Based on the current situation, Robby should have a strong intervention. In his tender age of 14, his mind is not developed enough to differentiate good and bad. He cannot take rational decisions and think about the long term effects of this habit of marijuana. He requires a collective family support to understand his situation and take a decision for him and not by force.
Children in this age are going through hormonal changes and divert easily towards substance abuse by imitating friend and seniors. To target this problem more effectively, he needs separation from his current friends and Continue reading...

National Institute of Drug Abuse states that heroin falls under opioid drugs long side painkillers such as oxycontin and Vicodin. The drug is the by-product of synthesized morphine, a substance that occurs naturally through the extraction from Asian opium poppy plant seedpod. The physical appearance of the drug varies from white or brown powder to a black sticky substance. Research indicates that by 2011, 1.6 % of American population had at least tested heroin in their lifetime, 23 % of this group had become dependent on the drug.
According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, administration of heroin into the body Continue reading...

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Introduction

Heroin belongs to the opiate family, a class of drugs derived from either the flowers of the poppy plant, or from their synthetic substitutes. In heroin’s case, it is produced from morphine. This is a naturally occurring material derived from the seedpod of the poppy plants. Like numerous drugs made from opiates, heroin is incredibly a strong painkiller
Every opiate abuse, as well as heroin and several prescriptions pain relievers, carries with them a solid risk of addiction along with physical dependence. Heroin commonly appears as a white otherwise brown powder. Purest Continue reading...

Introduction

The Trainspotting is a Scottish novel authored by Irvine Welsh. The novel was released in 1993. It features a collection of short stories that are written in Scottish English, Scots or British English. The main theme in the novel is addiction. It revolves around individuals who reside in Leith, Edinburgh. These residents either use heroin, have befriended a core group of people who use heroin, or take part in destructive activities that are similar in function to heroine and are therefore implicitly depicted as addictions. The novel has since revolutionized Scottish fiction especially after the success of its film Continue reading...

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Abstract

In order to give a comprehensive assessment of the ratio of drug trafficking and organized crime, it is necessary to study the history of drug trafficking in the transformation of an important branch of the criminal enterprise - such as how it happened with the bootlegging era of "dry law". As soon as concern over opium derivatives such as morphine and heroin, has led to the adoption of the extremely important on the value of legislation - the Law of Harrison, our historical review will focus on this addictive substance.

Historical Background

In the United Continue reading...

Many people who are addicted to hard drugs are under treatment and rehabilitation due to the many risks that exist as a result of the risky behavior. Most of these addicts risk contracting infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis (B or C) and even sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, there is a need to create rehabilitation programs to aid in the recovery and freedom from various forms of drug addiction. One of such therapy programs is the methadone maintenance therapy program. Research shows that this is one of the most effective programs in helping addicts fight with various forms of Continue reading...

Opiates refer to groups of drugs that are derived from poppy seeds usually found in Asia. In medicine field, the term opiate refers only to the narcotic opioid alkaloids extracted as natural products from the opium poppy plant known as Papaver somniferum (Earhart). These drugs have a high potential of being abused by users and are known to bock pain temporarily. It is very difficult for someone who uses opiates regularly to avoid getting hooked up by the use of drugs.
The prescription of opiates is mostly in pill form although some like heroin can be a powder that Continue reading...

This chapter provides substantial information about opium and opioids. The chapter delves into a number of issues regarding opium. These include its extraction, historical issues, its role in the wars between China and Great Britain, its active components, how the typical opioid user has changed over the years, how the supply of heroin has changed over the years, and laws that have been put in place to address the abuse of opium. Interestingly opium, a juice from the Papaver Somniferum plant has had a history of medical use of about 600 years long. Some of the medical science problems Continue reading...

The New Heroin Epidemic

According to Gilderman (2012) the United States experienced their largest heroin epidemic from 1967 to 1971; the second largest epidemic lasted from 1976 to 1981 (para. 9). So generally when people hear about a heroin epidemic they immediately think back to the 60s and 70s. There seems to be no recognition that there could be an ongoing epidemic of heroin use right now in the United States. Not only that, the epidemic is global including large areas of sub-Saharan African countries as well as in other locations around the world.

The question considered in this essay is: Does a Continue reading...

Psychology

Background

Mary is a 24-year old African-American woman that seeks evaluation of her condition. She has been using heroin since she was 19 years old. Mary is pointed out her boyfriend Max as the person that introduced her to heroin after she moved in with him. She has a history of family dysfunction and grew up seeing her father as an alcoholic and her mother undergoing an alcoholic recovery phase. Mary reported that she never received any substance or professional help before and that would justify any hesitation on her part to undergo evaluation. Another crucial part of her Continue reading...

Introduction

The topic of this paper presents a study from a sociological perspective on how the abuse of opiates affects society. The viewpoint renders its gaze from the application of conflict theory. The progression of this research paper posits its analysis through several stages. Beyond the introduction herein, the conversation moves into a bit of history, and thereafter assesses a reasoning section prior to approaching a conclusion. What is conflict theory and how may it be defined? According to the ‘Sociological Guide’ conflict theory may be defined as a collection of several ‘conflict theories,’ however the prominent one links to Continue reading...

Annotated Bibliography

Alexander, M. The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of. New York: The New Press., 2010.
Alexander starts with an overview of the Jim Crow laws that promoted racial segregation where the people of color were discriminated against. He reflects on the intimidation practices by the Ku Klax Klan and they people of color were denied the right to vote among others. Although the US is over the racial discrimination and exclusion on the basis of color, but the modern day practice of discrimination is practiced in the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has been Continue reading...

Introduction

Drug trafficking as defined by the UNODOC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) refers to the illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture and sale or distribution of drugs in contravention of the law prohibiting the handling of drugs. This vice has been in operation for quite a whole now. This saw Clinton’s drug czar Barry McCaffrey retort that drug trafficking has been in place from as far as 1996 (Suddath, 2009). The truth is that drug trafficking has been a global issue for over 40 years. The war on drug trafficking was instituted in an early Continue reading...

Vicent’s case study

Question 1- Discuss in point form
The clinical features of the scenario that lead you to administer oxygen.
The clinical scenario that lead you to administer oxygen; cyanosis, level of consciousness indicated with GSC 7, respiratory rate of 4 breath per minute which is regular but shallow, lowered pulse rate which is weak and regular are the clinical features that are responsible for the initiation of oxygen administration.

The physiological rationale for administering oxygen.

The physiologic rationale is to manage hypoxia and thus reduce the cyanosis, which is the result of shortage of oxygen and increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the patient's blood. Administering Continue reading...

Introduction

Over the past decade, drug crimes and drug abuse have garnered a lot of attention. It is estimated that every year about $110 billion is cost to the country through drug related accidental injuries and deaths, health care, criminal behaviors, dependency treatment and so on. Both the state and federal laws prohibit the manufacturing, possession, and the sale of certain controlled substances such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and ecstasy. Drug's relation to crimes is through the effects drugs make on the user's behavior by influencing him to commit violence and other illegal action connected to drug trafficking. In Continue reading...

Introduction

At the dawn of the Vietnam War, the United States of America was driven by the malicious interest of going to war for no apparent motive to gain anything from the war. The cards were however turned upside down when the French withdrew from the war leaving the U.S troops at the war front. The U.S was just out to oppose the growth and establishment of communism at all costs. The proponents of communism were aggrieved by the malice occasioned on them by the U.S and thus resolved not to relent in the war. Due to the massive deaths Continue reading...

Abstract

The following paper analyzes three articles that deal with the effect of addicted mothers on infant development. The type of addiction that the paper concentrates on includes alcohol abuse, use of cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. Drug use during pregnancy has been on the higher rise as more young mothers engage in drug and alcohol abuse. Mothers who use non-prescribed when pregnant never realizes the dangers they expose their newborn babies to until the child is born and attains the age of five years. The paper will identify various problems analyzed in the selected articles and relate them to the Continue reading...

Introduction 3

Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy 3
Summary of Model 4
Strengths and Weaknesses of Treatment 6
Medication Treatment Approaches 7
Medication Assessment Treatment 8
Strengths and Weaknesses of Treatment 11
Therapeutic Modality use with a patient with a Substance Disorder 11
Ethical, legal, Individual and Socio-Cultural Implications 12
Conclusion 12

References: 13

Addiction Treatments
Introduction
In the past, there were times when the society actually looked at drug addiction as some kind of a flaw that was moral. Research shows that popular "treatments" did things much different than they did today. For instance, it involved imprisonment, sentencing to drug users to the Continue reading...

Introduction

The federal government system functions with hundreds of federal agencies and administrative offices. These federal agencies have specific purposes and were formed through enactment of congress. Congress has been given the mandate to create such agencies and these agencies are answerable to congress at any point in time. Some agencies are formed under cabinet departments while others are independent agencies. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is one such federal agency. The DEA, as the name suggests, is cabinet agency formed in response to the drug menace that has hit the country in the 1970s. Its sole purpose is to Continue reading...

Let’s Get High

The need for a happy life is perhaps all that everybody wants; virtually every human being wants to live a stress-free life. However, the meaning of a happy life is discrepant to different people. To some, a happy and stress-free life is only attainable by smoking Marijuana- according to this group of people, marijuana promises them relaxation and relief for their daily life stress. Admittedly, this might be true for a while, but not all the time because using marijuana is the gateway to illicit drugs and might lead to addiction for a heavy user. Nonetheless, it should be Continue reading...

Article Reviews

Mayer, J., Wilson, R., and M. Hazlewood. “Personal Intelligence Expressed: A Multiple Case Study of Business Leaders.” Imagination, Cognition and Personality 30(2): 201-224.

Summary

This article acknowledges the wealth of intelligences that can lead to success in many different areas of life, focusing on the ways in which personal intelligence (PI) can influence life expressions. Defined as “the capacity to reason about personality and to use personality and personal information to enhance one’s thoughts, plans and life experience,” PI can increase one’s interest in one’s own personality, and the personalities of others, inspire the creation Continue reading...

Question one:

Developmental crises that demonstrate the normal evolution and growth of human beings where dramatic changes lead to abnormal responses
Situational crises arise in the case of extraordinary and uncommon events which an individual cannot control or forecast.
Existential crises relate to the internal conflicts which are closely connected to crucial human issues like responsibility, purpose, freedom, independence and commitment (Long, 2006).
Ecosystemic crises also entail disasters caused by human beings and natural disasters. The people find themselves in such disasters without their intention.
The founders of crisis theory include Rapoport in 1967 and 1970 who categorized crises into development Continue reading...

Famed basketball player Chris Herren endured a great deal of controversy and criticism over the course of his career – infamous for his drug addiction and abuse, his surprising candor about these issues make him unique among professional sports players. Chris Herren’s heroin and painkiller addictions made his journey an incredibly tragic one; despite his successes, notoriety and incredible heights with the Boston Celtics, his American Dream turned into a tragedy. The tale of Chris Herren is one of a young, talented upstart who was unable to handle the amorality of the professional sports world – as his fame increased, Continue reading...

Successful public policy is very difficult to devise but when the known facts and the perceptions of the citizens and government officials are used with honesty, success is more likely. David Baum wrote a book about the ‘war on drugs’ titled Smoke and Mirrors which was published in 1996. Examples from his book have been discussed with reference to Deborah A. Stone’s categories of causal stories. Causal stories that are used to justify public policy may involve policy actions that have been carefully researched and are targeted towards a specific goal. On the other hand the actions may Continue reading...

BBB functions and physiology: The central nervous system (CNS) necessitates a highly controlled environment for its proper functioning. Blood brain barrier is the system which maintains the homeostasis of the CNS. It works by separating and shielding the brain from the constant changes in the nutrient and chemical composition of systemic blood. It protects the brain tissue from harmful chemicals that might be present in the blood. The key functions of the BBB are transport of nutrients from the blood to brain and metabolites in opposite direction to systemic circulation. Only a small number of molecules are allowed access Continue reading...

Marijuana use by teenagers in the 10th and 12th grade increased from 14.2% and 18.8% in 2007 to 17.0% and 22.9% in 2012 respectively. A continued abuse of prescription and OTC drugs also continued to rise, especially on the use stimulants and pain relievers. While marijuana and medical drugs showed consistent and, other times, escalating use, other drugs of abuse such as inhalants, cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) decreased in all. Alcohol use among teenagers, on the other hand, showed a slight increase in 2012. Cigarettes, though peaked around 1997, continued to decrease until now. Both cigarettes (17.1%) and marijuana ( Continue reading...

The text looks into narcotics and prescription drugs as a common problem today. Narcotics such as morphine and heroin and prescription drugs like hydrocodone are most prone to diversion and abuse. The text looks into why drug networks arise, the changes that come with drug use and the risk behaviors involved.
According to the text, most narcotic addicts fall victim to use of the drug due to close association with other addicts and personal curiosity. Harsh living conditions and poor backgrounds predispose most people to use of narcotics such as heroin. Most addicts suffer loss of employment and stigmatization. Continue reading...

A Critical Analysis

James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” (1965) is one of his best known stories, and it continues to attract critical attention and to attract new readers. Written during the Civil Rights Campaign of the 1960s, Baldwin eschews his habitual preoccupations with homosexuality and inter-racial relationships to write a moving story of two brothers. Clark 934) argues that the story “meticulously interrogates and dismantles the superficial, socially imposed aspects of men’s relationships precisely because the story is so uniquely asexual.” – unique in Baldwin’s work, he means. Famously, Baldwin uses the music of the blues and jazz as a Continue reading...

Drug abuse has become a worldwide issue, where each and every nation is struggling to control and prevent the ever increasing rate of drugs and substance abuse. As of today, the issue has become part of debate in almost all communities and nations in the world, and the question on who should take charge and how these issues should be solved without major effects on the society at large, has also raised more concern.

Drug and substance abuse refers to a maladaptive pattern of frequent use of a certain drug substance, which is not Continue reading...

Though stories vary greatly from one another, good stories have similar literary elements in common which make them a good story. This essay judges James Baldwin’s story Sonny’s Blues based on this criteria of characters, setting, and point of view and conflict.
Baldwin’s story features two protagonists, Sonny and his brother and his older, protective brother. Both are from an economically disadvantaged black neighborhood. Sonny is a musician, and as do many musicians, he used drugs. The reader is introduced to Sonny when he has just gotten out of jail and is no longer using drugs, Continue reading...

Introduction

Relationship between drug and crime
Drug abuse occurs as a result of maladaptive habits of drug use. It is manifested by recurrent and significant impact associated with repeated intake of the drugs. These problems occur repeatedly during the period of 12 months. The criteria include; harmful impacts of repeated use rather than tolerance and pattern of compulsive use. Drug abuse leads to addiction and drug dependency. The dependency raises the maladaptive pattern of substance abuse, resulting to cluster of behavioral and psychological phenomenon that develops after several drugs intakes. Drug dependency includes a strong urge to take the drug; Continue reading...

Health education is one of the most important kinds of classes that teenagers need, as their health and future both depend on their awareness of the problems drugs can cause in their lives. What should we do for teenagers not to become addicts? What are the first symptoms of teenage drug addiction? What type of drug harms in the most destructive way? Why can people suddenly die from heroin or methamphetamine? Why marijuana is the easiest and also the most dangerous drug? What is the average lifespan of a drug addict? Why is it almost not possible to recover Continue reading...

International Drug Trafficking: The Prevalence of Economic Crimes

Introduction
Sobering are the statistics of modern-day illicit drug use; it is estimated that over 210 million people per year use illicit drugs, with 16 million of these users living in The United States alone (Levitsky 228). Annually, the annual economic and social costs to the United States total over a staggering $100 billion, and the majority of research suggests that this number is set to increase as the global trend of drug trafficking increases as well (Cox et al. 430). Consequently, the most obvious result of increased international drug trafficking is the increase of crimes that associated with Continue reading...

The Most Controversial & Debated Plant in the Country

INTRODUCTION
Weed, grass, bud, pot, “giggle-twig,” Kush, “greenery,” and marijuana are all names for one plant; Cannabis. Whether one has first-hand experience or not, most Americans are aware of what Cannabis looks and how it smells. However, beyond that many people cannot agree on much else concerning the uses, laws and policies of this one, single plant. Some people believe that Cannabis is a dangerous, addictive, illicit drug as equally as threatening as any other drug, like heroin and methamphetamines, also called Speed. However, there are an ever-growing number of people in this country who argue that many of Continue reading...