An Important Element for the Development of the Personal Potential of a Human Being - Research Paper Example

Heroin Introduction If one takes a close look at the human society, one can not help noticing that it should be seen as animportant element for the development of the personal potential of a human being. Indeed, if it had not been for it, a lot of traits that are thought to be significant would not have existed. However, it is important to say that any social environment is able to function right only when life in it is guided by different rule and regulations. They ensure that none of the people would perform actions that may eventually damage the foundations of prosperity and security. One of such actions is the use of certain substances, especially drugs. This paper will provide a brief overview of heroin, focusing on the history of it, both internationally and in the United States, various legal aspects that are connected with it, peculiarities of medical usage, common ways of using it, as well as physiological an psychological effects that it has on a person. History of heroin: global picture The effect that opium has on human body has been known for a big amount of time: as early as 3400 BCE people used it as a way to deal with pain. Heroin or diacetylmorphine is a drug that can not be found in nature though: it was created by a chemist in the course of experiments in the nineteenth century. This did not appear to be a significant discovery until another chemist created it again in order to develop a substitute for morphine. Thus, heroin became a heavily marketed drug which was thought to cause less addiction than morphine. Heroin in the United States In the beginning of the previous century heroin was legally exported to the United States as it was considered to be a drug. Nevertheless, the government was concerned with different side effects that it had as well as it was aware about the addiction that it may cause. As a result, it passed a series or laws that restricted the sale of heroin to medical use only; the later laws banned it completely. It must be noted that the name by which it is known today, namely heroin, is nothing but a brand name that was invested by Bayer AG. Surprisingly, though it no longer exists as a product in the market, the name is still in use. The current legal status of heroin in the United States At the present moment diacetylmorphine or heroin is considered to be a drug that is included in Schedule I. The latter list is comprised according to the Controlled Substances Act which was passed in 1970. This means that a person needs DEA license to possess it for any purpose. Speaking of punishment that comes for illegal possession, one might note that if a person is found to have 100 grams or more, one is likely to spend the next five years in a federal prison. The outline of laws regarding heroin In spite of the fact that several pieces of legislature that deal with opiates can be found in 1906 and 1909, the first act that should be noted specifically is The Harrison Act of 1914 which restricted heroin to medical purposes only ("Laws", 2015). In ten years there was another act, namely Heroin Act of 1924 that outlawed the substance completely. Over the course of the middle of the previous century, there was a number of acts that defines punishment for possess of heroin in broad ways. Finally, in 1970 the government passed Controlled Substance Act that presented a wide list of substances the possession of which would make a person subject to federal punishment. From that time there also have been several laws, but they did not make any significant adjustments into the legal status of it. The medical use of heroin It would not be a mistake to suggest that just like any other drugs, heroin is abused by a person to experience euphoria in one way or another. Therefore, this purpose need not be examined. Contrary to that, the use of heroin in medicine is a rather interesting subject. One would not make a mistake to suggest that doctors primarily prescribe diacetylmorphine in cases when a person experiences an acute pain (Fernandez, 1998, p. 131). This is conditioned by the effect that the drug has on the body. As it was previously noted, it was specifically designed as an alternative to morphine which is used for similar purposes. Nowadays, heroine is also widely used in palliative care. Prescription for addicts It may be quite surprising, but there are cases when people are so addicted to heroin that their addiction can hardly be overridden by other substances. In this case the only logical solution is to provide a person with a rational amount of heroin that will be administered under supervision of medical staff in order to ensure that one is able to function properly. This is a common practice in different countries that want to control the use of this substance, on the one hand, and help people who are not able to break free from the addiction, on the other hand. Different routes of administration One would make no mistake suggesting that heroine might be administered in various ways. All they have their own peculiarities which conditions their popularity. It is quite understandable that the most widely used one is injection (Swift, 1999, p. 71). This can be explained by the fact that the effect that this substance causes is experiences quite soon: it may take around several minutes. At first the addicts use veins that are easily accessible; however, as they become blocked, they have to find other ways of administration. There is an alternative way that is called skin popping when a drug is injected under the skin in small portions. Another route of administration is oral. Nevertheless, it is not popular as it does not lead to generation of euphoria. There are alternative routes of administration such as smoking, snoring or insertion; nevertheless, they are also not popular. Physiological effect of heroin on body In spite of the fact that heroin itself does not have any significant side effects rather than addiction, a vast array of physiological effects that are observed are generated by different components that are found in it when it is sold. Thus, heroin was often found responsible for negatively affecting respiratory organs (LeVert, 2006, p. 31). It also causes different infections of heart lining and valves. One of effects on system of blood vessels has already been discussed: veins become blocked and no longer function properly. In the organism of a person who is using heroine liver has to process a considerable amount of different substances which ultimately leads to its wearing off. The effect of heroin on the brain However, by far the most negative effect that heroine has on organism can be found in the brain. Thus, just like any other drug, this one alters the processes that take place in this important organ. Heroin affect the so called mu-opioid receptors which are responsible for many functions, including feeling pain, releasing hormones and causing pleasure ("What effects does heroin have on the body?", 2015). However, when they are activated by the drug, they can no longer return to the original state which constitutes the mechanism of addiction: a person feels the urgent need to consume more and more for the body simply is not able to function without it. Psychological effects The last category of effects that should be mentioned is the psychological ones. As it has been noted earlier, while using heroin, a person develops addiction to it. This means that one will not be able to function properly as a citizen or as a human being as lives of other people are not affected by any substances (Hill, 2001, p. 258). As a result, an addiction will likely to focus one’s life about experiencing euphoria that is conditioned by the drug. This means that one will not be ambitious to move forward on the path of personal or social development: one will want to find money for a new dose and make sure that it is administered on time. Conclusion Having examines all the evidence that was brought up in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following logical conclusion: heroine should surely be regarded as a dangerous drug which is able to have tremendously negative impact on one’s body. In spite of the fact that it may be used for medical purposes, the majority of the countries have outlawed it. Nowadays, heroin can be administered only in order to help the addicts live their life when other substances are not able to eliminate their addiction. There are different routes of administration, but injects remains to be the most popular one as is contributes to emergence of euphoria faster than others. The negative impact on the body may be found in virtually every organ, especially in the brain. References Fernandez, H. (1998). Heroin. Center City, MN: Hazelden. Hill, G. (2001). A level psychology through diagrams. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Laws. (2015). Retrieved April 26, 2015, from https://www.naabt.org/laws.cfm LeVert, S. (2006). The facts about heroin. New York, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. Swift, W., Maher, L., & Sunjic, S. (1999). Transitions between routes of heroin administration: A study of Caucasian and Indochinese heroin users in south-western Sydney, Australia. Addiction, 94(1), 71-82. What effects does heroin have on the body? (2015). Retrieved April 26, 2015, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/how-heroin-used Read More