Evolution and Effects of Heroin. Drugs have been rapidly evolving in today s world and affecting the lives of many.

Transcription

1 Saenz 1 Cat Saenz Jessica Frogley English 2010 September 14, 2011 Evolution and Effects of Heroin Abstract: Drugs have been rapidly evolving in today s world and affecting the lives of many. As drug use becomes more present in common lives, the drugs themselves are evolving. Black Tar heroin coming in from Mexico has a much higher potency then the Columbian and Middle Eastern powder heroin that use to make up most of the circulation. More users are overdosing because of the increased potency and lower price. Being both stronger and cheaper makes the drug go a lot farther for an addict. Withdrawals from this drug are intense and very painful making it a hard drug for many to get away from. Along with the discomfort of withdrawals, for a heavy user, stopping usage can also be fatal. This is becoming an increasingly pressing epidemic that is lessening the quality of society. Introduction: Heroin is a highly addictive drug federally classified as a schedule 1 drug. This means the drug is classified as: high abuse, no recognized medical use, lack of safety (Goode). Heroin is now available in many forms and has continued to escalate in usage and potency since 2005 (Quinones). At an addiction treatment center in Ohio in the past

2 Saenz 2 decade, the percent of heroin addicts there went from 20% of the patients to 70% (Quinones). The growing rate of this problem is astounding and detrimental to society. Heroin is very physically addicting to the body. Of the 6.4 million Americans misuse prescription drugs.73% of those abusing prescription drugs are pain pills. These people are often those who upgrade to something more potent, leading them to a heroin addiction (Waismann Method). Methods: Research for this paper was conducted through several search databases on the Salt Lake Community College online library being Academic Search Premier Ebscohost, CQ Researcher, JSTOR, and Sirs Researcher. On each of these sites, the keywords of heroin, addiction, withdrawals, opiates, treatment, and narcotics were use to find sufficient and credible information on which to base a report. Alongside of these databases, Google Scholar was also used. These keywords were chosen because they closely related to the topic and connected to the report. Heroin, being the main topic, was the focal element of the research. The other keywords of addiction, withdrawals, opiates, treatment, and narcotics were used as branches, or subcategories, to expand upon the understanding of Heroin. Through Sirs Researcher, the articles A Lethal Business Model targets Middle America, Black Tar Moves In, Death Follows. The Good Life in Xalisco Can Mean Death in the United States, (Quinoes) and Deadly Ultra-Pure Heroin Arrives in U.S. (Caldwell). These pieces gave stories nationwide of heroin use the effects that Black Tar heroin has on

3 Saenz 3 civilian lives. All of the articles came from credible newspaper sources making the study of these authors a quality source to pull information from. By assistance of JSTOR, the British Medical Journal entry of Medical Prescription of Heroin to Treatment Resistant Heroin Addicts: Two Randomized Controlled Trial was found; being in a medical journal made this item reliable for investigative use. Via Google Scholar, the sites Waismann Method Advanced Treatment of Opiate Dependency and drugfree.org were found and able to provide credible history and definition for the drug. The site drugfree.org was also used to gain standard factual information about the drug and symptoms of withdrawals from heroin. From Academic Search Premier Ebscohost and CQ Researcher there were no results that transferred into this report. Results and Discussion: Heroin was originally synthesized in Until 2005, Heroin mainly came from Columbia, Asia, and the Middle East making up most of the supply. It was a white crystalline powder derived from morphine. The purity of this substance was typically 5% with the remainder being a benign substance such as sugar, powdered milk, etc (Caldwell, Waismann Method). It is sold in doses in un-inflated balloons, about the size of a dime. This is where the term a balloon of heroin comes from (Quinones). As the drug evolved, it came in a range from white to brown powder. It was often times cooked into a liquid in order to be injected to reach a higher high ; for an addict it made the drug go farther. Heroin can be consumed by smoking it through a pipe with tobacco (or other substance) or

4 Saenz 4 off of tin foil, snorted (in its powder form), or injected straight into a vein, commonly in the inside crease of the arm, the jugular, or between the toes (Get the Facts). Caldwell explains that in the past decade, Black Tar heroin has come into circulation from Mexico. This heroin is a blackish color often with a gooey consistency. It sells for about $10 (1/5 to 1/6 the price of Columbian heroin) per balloon, with purity often between 50-80% (Caldwell). The difference in purity has created a rise in heroin overdoses because of the users do not realize the potency of the new product. The author then goes on to say that some are even being found dead with the needle still in their arm. With the price of Black Tar heroin being so much less than Columbian, the users addictions become less of a financial hardship to feed. The $10 spent is well worth avoidance from the pain of withdrawals that come without it. Despite what many choose to think, it is not just crazy teenagers using. It is men and women of multiple age groups (Quinones). A surprising amount being middle aged males. This drug epidemic surrounds more of today s society than many are aware. While addiction continues, users may suffer health problems such as collapsed veins (around injection site), infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulites, and liver disease. Heroin affects its users respiratory system in a negative and restricting way. Additives injected can also stay in the blood stream and cause clots. The problem of clots in the blood has increased with the use of Black Tar Heroin because it is less processed and often has more impurities that the body can not break down in it (Caldwell). It can also cause infection in the heart, kidneys, brain, lungs, and liver and lead to dead areas in the cells of these organs.

5 Saenz 5 My Home is Drug Free. Photograph. Drug Free Homes Web. 20 Sept Heroin withdrawals can start as soon as six to twenty four hours after the last use. They tend to peak between 48 and 72 hours later and cease in about a week (Get the Facts). These withdrawal symptoms include: Aching limbs (cramps) Intestinal cramps Anxiety Loss of appetite Cold- or flu-like conditions Malaise Cold sweats, sweating Mood swings Constipation Nausea and vomiting Depression Pain Diarrhea Priapism (painful sustained penile Female genitalia sensitivity erection) Goose bumps (creating the term Respiratory problems going cold turkey ) Rigors (fever chills) Hallucinations Severe aches (in bones and muscles) Headaches Tremors Insomnia Yawning

6 Saenz 6 Itchy blood (compulsive bruised Restless leg muscle spasms scratching, scabs, and ruptures) (syndrome from which "kicking" the habit became slang for withdrawal). (Waismann Method) They can be very intense and occasionally when a heavy user quits suddenly, the withdrawals can cause death. Common times when a frequent user stops, damage to vital organs including the brain and the heart can occur. These effects are being suffered by many. This has become a rising problem in U.S. society. The drug rates continue to escalate while in other places around the world they are dropping (BBC News UK). The following chart shows that over a five year period the user percentage for most drugs in Portugal has actually decreased. This is opposite of what has happened in the U.S. over the past several decades. (see charts on page 10). BBC News UK. Web. 27 Nov

7 Saenz 7 Along with the effects the use of heroin is having on the individual user, it is effecting a broader spectrum. These addicts directly effect: their loved ones and family, their jobs and coworkers, the community, the jails and prisons, the government and economy (Caldwell, Get the Facts, Quinones). They play a larger attributing piece than many choose to realize.

8 Saenz 8 Works Cited: Caldwell, Alicia A. Deadly Ultra-Pure Heroin Arrives in US. Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO). 24 May n. pag. Sirs Researcher. Web. 06 Sept The Canyon Renowned Rehab and Substance Abuse Center. The Canyon Renowned Rehab and Substance Abuse Center. Google. Web. 08 Oct < The Canyon. Personal Interview. 08 Oct Easton, Mark. How Portugal Treats Drug Addicts. BBC News UK. 01 July n. pag. Google Scholar. Web. 27 Nov Get The Facts DrugWarFacts.org. DrugWarFacts.org. Google. Web. 10 Oct < Goode, Erich, McGraw-Hill. Drug Classifications. Drugs in American Society. 5 th, 6 th, and 7 th editions. (1999/2005/2008) Chapter 1. Google Scholar. Web. 20 Sept Hendricks, Vincent M., Wim van den Brink, Peter Blanken, Marten W.J. Koeter, Barbra J. van Zwieten, Jan M. van Ree. Medical Prescription of Heroin to Treatment Resistant Heroin Addicts: Two Randomized Controlled Trials. BMJ: British Medical Journal Volume 327. No 7410 (09 Aug. 2003) JSTOR. Web. 20 Sept Midwest Rapid Opiate Detoxification Specialist LLC MRODS. Midwest Rapid Opiate Detoxification Specialist LLC MRODS. Google Scholar. Web. 12 Sept < My Home is Drug Free. Photograph. Drug Free Homes Web. 20 Sept Quinoes, Sam. Black Tar Moves In and Death Follows. Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). 15 Feb n. pag. Sirs Researcher. Web. 05 Sept

9 Saenz The Good Life in Xalisco Can Mean Death in the United States. Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). 16 Feb n. pag. Sirs Researcher. Web. 05 Sept A Lethal Business Model targets Middle America. Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). 14 Feb n. pag. Sirs Researcher. Web. 01 Sept Waismann Method Advanced Treatment of Opiate Dependency. Waismann Method Anesthesia Assisted Medical Opiate Detoxification, Inc Web. Google Scholar. 01 Sept < Waismann Method. Personal Interview. 08 Oct

10 Saenz 10 Appendices: Transform Drug Policy. Web. 01 Dec My Teen Saver. Web. 01 Dec