Historical Patterns of Opiate Abuse - Essay Example

Pattern of Opioid Abuse in the Early 1900s, In the Middle 1900s, and In Recent Times Drug abuse has been associated with negative influence of the human behaviour in the society. However, not every type of drug use is considered to be an abuse. Drug abuse has been defined by different authors in different perspectives, and according to Hart (4) it is described by factors such as why, where, what, when and how a certain drug is used. All drugs, classified as either harmful or otherwise have varying importance to the society. The manner in which people use the drugs in relation to the amount, motive of use and time of use determines whether the drug has been abused or not. Even the most essential prescription drugs have been found to be abused by people, Opioids being an example. Addiction, which is a characteristic of increased dependency on a particular drug, is considered to the worst negative effect of drugs in the society. Of equal importance is the influence of other society members into using drugs, commonly associated with the young and referred to as peer pressure. Research reveals a trend of drug abuse that has taken shape over a number of years. With the passing time, a pattern has been drawn on the different trends in which people choose to abuse drugs. The manner in which a drug is used by the society determines the trend (Hart 12). Some drugs have been found to have had an increasing trend over time, while others have been found to be declining. Opioids which are painkillers have been found to have increasing abuse among the people in the society. I essence, the most important opioid in the abuse class include fentanyl, oxycontin, oxycodone and hydrocodone. Naturally occurring opium derivatives include the morphine, partially synthetic opioids include the heroine, oxycodone and the oxymorphone and the synthetic opioids which include the alfentanil, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, codeine, propoxyphene and buprenorphine. Abuse signs of opium have been reported since the 16th century when Paracelsus, who was a European clinician, reported to having had difficulties in concentration and writing after trying to withdraw from the use of the drug. Obviously, the clinician had become addicted to the drug without knowing it. Various reports in the 19th century have showed an excessive use of opioids among the people then, in a period characterized by minimal drug use. However, in China, opium was found to have fetched numerous profits for people who smuggled it to the country (Booth Web). In Europe, confessions of people who depended on it on their everyday living were apparent. Cakes made of opium were auctioned to merchants in India, in the then British East India Company, making it a home consumed drug. The drug was legal in the Indian country and thus was openly and commonly used by the people of the Indian origin in big amounts. Motions that were aimed at ending the highly profitable business of opium in the territory were unsuccessful during the period between 1870 and 1893. However, the campaign was morally supported started from the year 1893, and the government chose to support the motion in 1906. In 1913, trading in opium trade was considered an illegal undertaking (Booth Web). According to Hart (312), opioids have since then been used for nontherapeutic purposes especially among the youth. This makes the highly important clinical drug to be abused as they use it to get high. Previously, the drug had been used for clinical purposes, where doctors required a drug that did not require injection to be administered to the patients. Reports indicate that in 1898, German companies undertook to market large quantities of opium. By this time, it was legal to use the drug, and thus, open advertising was done by companies that used to market it. Subsequently, it was tested by a Bayer researcher and found to have great medicinal values as it treated various respiratory ailments, especially bronchitis, asthma and tuberculosis. This prompted large scale production of the drug, which later led to increased abuse as it was easily available at low prices. The levels of heroin addiction in 1903 rose to alarming levels, and here, governments thought it would be best of interest to protect their citizens. Many people openly abused the drug, with close to 15 % of Chinese people having been reported to have been smoking opium. This prompted the congress to ban it in the year 1905, as many Americans had too resulted into its abuse. This period of dynamic use of heroin and opium saw a number of registrations being passed. The main motive behind these registrations was to make it hard for people to access the drug (Cicero 6). For example, in 1906, congress passed the pure food and drug act that required all contents to be labelled on all medicines in the pharmaceutical drugs. Another law was enacted in 1909 that sought to criminalize any importation of opium into the United States. These were desperate measures put to ensure that less people gained access to the drug. The fact that it made people high made it fly in the markets at a very high rate. It takes a very short time to act on the body, around five seconds, another major reason why the drug is preferred among its users. A law passed in 1915 required al doctors and pharmacists selling opium to register and pay a tax. This development made people revert to the streets to procure the drug to satisfy their requirements. It is urged the increased immigration of the people from the Asian countries especially the Chinese brought the smoking habits in the United States. Although this is considerably of little significance in reference to other contributing factors, it could not be ignored. India in this period reported to having the highest levels of opium abuse, registering a 50% of the total population. Most commonly, it was either chewed or taken as a pill for medicinal purposes (Kattimani et al. 4). Although the laws passed greatly helped to suppress the open sale of the drug, the 1930s saw its cultivation continue. While a ready market was created by the high demand of the drug by the already addicted victims, the medical fraternity too needed the drug to treat diarrhoea and acute pain making the clinical version of opioids increasingly available. Even until in the year 1942, colonial governments kept drawing revenues from the opium monopolies. By1960s, only a few areas in the world that included Burma, Laos and Thailand were left producing opium. Despite many other areas having had been suppressed, the high levels of smuggling made the drug available to the people in any part of the world. In America for instance, it kept being sold in the backstreets to anybody who showed interest and was willing to buy. According to (Booth Web), the period between 1948 and 1942 saw a relatively higher abuse of opium in the streets of the major towns and cities of United States especially New York in comparison to other periods. The major distributors and the big people in the business who acted as the main distributors were the Corsican gangsters and the U.S mafia. Unprocessed opium from growing fields of Turkey was refined at laboratories located in Marseilles, and later sold to addicts in the streets of the New York City and other cities in America. Many people had moved to New York, including immigrants such as those of Asian origin like China who were known to be heavy smokers of the drug, making it the biggest market for opioids. America was dedicated to spreading the ideologies of communism to various parts of the world including Asia and Europe, which led to the formation of alliances with the drug warlords called the Golden Triangle that controlled the drug business (Kattimani et al. 6). The army took to supply the business with ammunition and arms to safeguard their territories, and means of transportation especially air transport that facilitated the movement and sale of opium. This resulted in a boom in the business due to the ease of doing the business especially the free market that these actions created in the United States. Opium became easily accessible in the streets by users while it could be procured in unlimited amounts. This turned many people especially the youth into junkies as most of them chose to mix it with other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The Vietnam War of the United States saw the setup of a direct charter airline by the Central Intelligence Unit that was to transport raw opium from the states of Burma and Laos. Contrary to the earlier periods in the United States, this period was characterized by increased abuse of the drug. Consequently, experts claim that the level of addiction to opium was about 750,000 people among the American population. The problem of addiction was not only related to the warlords who were keen at building empires from drug business. Whether this was a plan by the central government to make proceeds from the business or individuals who were bent at making money from the business, reasons were not known. With time, consumption of opium has kept rising, although statistics reveal that the production of opium has decreased with time. Burma in the 1962 criminalized any form of growth or production of opium in its territory. The then observers had a bet that this was perhaps the best route to follow in curbing the abuse of opium. Most of the individuals in the business devised new means and methods of producing the drug in the outlawed areas. Secluded areas that were securely guarded away from the authorities and the people were the new ways of producing the drug. Coupled with the support of the Vietnam, the drugs found an easy access to the United States market. Startling revelations in the 1970s drew the ugly picture of the levels and the effects of abuse of opium and opioids. Janis Joplin, who was a legendary American singer, was found dead at Landmark Hotel in Hollywood, and doctors reported that he had succumbed to a heroin overdose (Booth Web). This showed that the abuse of opium was still a rampant phenomenon in the United States even with the efforts being put forward to end the trends. What was more worry some in this time was that secretly, the army was in support of the business. As if the death of Janis Joplin was not a lesson good enough, another prominent figure, Comedian John Belushi a member of the Animal House fame died of opium overdose in 1982. The abuse of the drug did not drastically reduce, although the Vietnam had ceased from giving the drug dealers support. To solve the menace that had faced the world for a number of years, the U.S. state department officials proposed that the eradication of the plants would solve the problem once and for all. However, the fight did not bear much fruit until the seizure of the largest consignment of opium in Bangkok in the year 1988. It was only through the arrest of various drug dealers that the supply of the drug substantially reduced. Reports indicate that in the last fifteen years, the abuse of opium has been increasing tremendously (Cicero et al 1). Among the high school and college going students, prescribed form of opium has been growing. The ease and simplicity with which these adolescents have increasingly gained access to the drug has been the major contributor to the rising trend of the drug abuse. Personally, I have had an encountered the abuse of opium both as a prescribed drug and its oral version. As a youth, I have different classes of friends, both from the school non-school friends at home. A family friend whom we have grown up with together since birth recently confessed to having been using the drug since our young age. Apart from smoking, he also takes tablets containing opium although he confesses that the pills do not have a good effect as compared to the smoke. I was disturbed by this revelation since I knew he was falling into the category of addicts. Confining in me, he told me that at times, due to the decreased supply of the drug, opted for the pill. At one time, he took me to the streets where they procure the drugs. The condition of the people was pathetic. From poorly dressed to lack of proper hygiene, these people looked more than lost in their own world. I then noticed how my friend had slowly yet undetected, had deteriorated in both social life and classwork. At one time, he had opted to drop out of school, citing unclear reasons. He had changed type of friends he used to hang around with, and this time I realized where he had been spending his entire days. I was worried for his life as he had neglected his personal hygiene, and thus reported the issue to the parents. His friends thought it best to take him to a psychologist where he is presently receiving therapy. Frequently, I visit him to keep track of his progress and I am sure that he will soon be back to his original condition. In conclusion, the issue of opium abuse has been going on for quite a long time. Since its discovery, dated in 300 B.C. in Mesopotamia, the drug that is obtained from poppy plants has been abused since 400 AD. For a long time, the American population has been used the drug to get high. Although the age has dropped, the number of consumers seems to be growing, since the 1980s, when it dropped subsequently. The business has thrived since the 1880s, when the Indians used to trade in it and the 1960s when the Vietnam joined in the trade. Subsequently, senior officials of the government are suspected to be involved in the trade, a reason why the fight has continuously born less fruits. Although the drug has many medicinal values, greedy individuals have found great avenues of making money through illegal trade. Thus, instead of the levels of abuse going down, they have continuously remained high and worse still rising. Different measures have been put forward to ensure that the availability of the drug to the people decreases, and hopes are high that it will completely vanish. However, so long as the clinical tablets containing opium will be available, they will fly from the shelves at a faster rate if the street drugs are completely unavailable to the users. Works Cited Booth, Martin. “Endogenous Opioids”, Opium: A History, Simon & Schuster, Ltd. Web 19 May 2013. Cicero, Theodore, Hilary, Surratt, Steven Kurtz, Ellis, and James, Inciardi. “Patterns of prescription opioid abuse and comorbidity in an aging treatment population”, Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 42 (2012) 87–94 Hart, Carl, and Charles Ksir. “Drugs, Society, & Human Behavior”. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print. Kattimani, Ray. and Sharma H.K. “Opium Abuse and Its Management: Global Scenario”, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, world health organization, New Delhi, India. Read More