Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA - Term Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... Despite efforts that have been put to curb the drug menace, there has been very little success. 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), is the drug of choice because it is readily available in clubs and other social settings. This can be attributed to the fact that the drug comes in capsules, which are easy to carry. It has devastating effects on the user, and in some instances, it might lead to death (Doweiko, 2011). There are several similarities between schedule I drugs, and United States of America’s Drug Enforcement Administration describes them as dangerous drugs, which do not have any medicinal value. In addition, such drugs have higher chances of being abused by their users. Such drugs do not have accepted safety measures that can be applied under medical supervision. It is usually illegal for any person to distribute, manufacture, possess, or dispense these drugs. Moreover, all counterfeit drugs associated with schedule I drugs are illegal. MDMA, heroin, and marijuana fall under Schedule I drugs because they do not have any medicinal value and thus, possessing them is illegal (Doweiko, 2011). Drug use has attracted many researchers in trying to understand why some people use them. Some studies have revealed that drug abusers have some neuropsychological alterations, which push them to start doing drugs. This implies that some abusers do not have a choice because they cannot contain their craving for drugs even before they have tested them. Drug abuse results in neuropsychological impairments that affects the abusers’ everyday lives. Some of the common effects of drug abuse are the functioning of memory, attention, or learning abilities. This means that drug abusers are at a risk of contracting illnesses, which could have been prevented, were it not for engaging in drugs (Verdejo-Garc?a et al, 2005). History of Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA Bayer pharmaceutical company of Germany developed heroin in the year 1898 and when the pharmacists tested it on themselves, they felt heroic, and thus they gave it, the name heroin. Heroin is obtained from raw opium and a ton of opium produces one hundred kilograms of pure heroin. The last quarter of the nineteenth century saw many wars across Europe and the civil war in United States. Morphine, which is extracted from opium, addicted many soldiers because it was used to treat battle wounds. At the time, studies revealed that addiction to morphine could be controlled with administering low dosages of heroin. Twelve years later, the addiction abilities of heroin were recognized but the drug had become a thorn in the flesh of United States government and society (Doweiko, 2011). Chinese physicians were using marijuana as a treatment for constipation, malaria and as a pain reliever during childbirth five thousand years ago. In addition, they mixed it with wine to act as an anesthetic. European settlers in Jamestown in Virginia used to harvest marijuana for as early as 1611 for the qualities it had in making ropes. Although most researchers suggest that the intoxicating effects of marijuana became a reality in the 1800s, people in South and Central America are believed to have been using the drug years before. In the New World and Europe, physicians used cannabis or marijuana for treatment of various disorders. Marijuana, in the United States was used as a cure for migraines, sedater, and anticonvulsant. Before the turn of the 20th century, ...Download file to see next pagesRead More