Differences between Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA - Report Example

Running Head: Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA  Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA Introduction Challenges posed by substance abuse have been a major obstacle in the world from time immemorial. Substance abuse is the leading cause of mental disorders among very many people across the world. United States and other countries across the globe have declared total war against drug abuse because it has been noted that the epidemic is affecting the lives of very many people in the society. Drug abuse affects the lives of the abusers as well as that of their close family members. 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-Garcıa 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, morphine addiction had become worse and companies were selling marijuana as a cure to that addiction. Although it has never been proved, marijuana was associated with criminal activities in the 1930s and as a result, it was illegalized in 1937. Immigrant workers introduced the recreational abilities of marijuana in the United States from Mexico. Prohibition years in the 1920s had a devastating effect on the increment in the number of marijuana smokers because they could not find any other recreational drug to choose (Doweiko, 2011). Anton Köllisch from Merck was the first to synthesize MDMA in the year 1912. The interest of the development of the drug was to stop excessive bleeding and at the same time, Merck wanted to evade a patent held by Bayer for a substance known as hydrastinine. Use of MDMA as a recreational drug started in the 1970s in the United States. Alexander Shulgin who was working in the University of California synthesized and tried MDMA and he realized that it had psychotropic effects on human beings. After the spread of the use of the drug in the United States, it was classified as a schedule I drug on 31 May 1985. MDMA is a widely abused drug among partygoers in addition to heroin, cocaine, and cannabis or marijuana (Doweiko, 2011). Similarities between Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA Marijuana, MDMA, and heroin have similar effects on the user. Once a person has taken any of the drugs, consciousness is altered with sensual and emotional overtones. Users tend to forget themselves after taking the drug because of the chemical abilities in them. It is worth noting that the three drugs are highly addictive and once a person starts to use them, it is very hard to stop. Initially, physicians thought that the drugs had medicinal value but it has been proved that they do not aid in cure of any illness (Steele, Bolostotsky & Lau, 2012). Schedule I drugs induce euphoria, intimacy feeling with other people, and reduced anxiety. This implies that abusers of these drugs have an increased chance of engaging in risky behaviors because one cannot control his or her emotions. Moreover, when the user is high, his or her cognitive abilities are diminished and as a result, choosing between right and wrong becomes difficult. This is the main reason why MDMA, heroin, and marijuana are illegal in most countries across the world because they aid in criminal activities among the users. Moreover, many drug addicts do not engage in income earning activities and they result in becoming petty thieves (Steele, Bolostotsky & Lau, 2012). Heroin, MDMA, and marijuana are all hard drugs, which are illegal in most countries across the world. In some countries, especially in Asia, possession of these drugs might lead to death sentence. Despite these realities, a large number of people especially the young, abuse the drugs. They have high chances of addicting the user and this is the main reason why one is advised never to try them. Continued use of hard drugs might result in brain damage. This means that drug abuser is at high risk of becoming a social misfit because the drug affects his or her thinking capacity (Lecca et al, 2011). There are several psychological problems, which are associated with drug abuse. All schedule I drugs have hallucinogenic, anesthetic or stimulant effects, which affect the consciousness of the user. This implies that once one has taken the drug, chances are high that she or he might engage in dangerous habits such as driving or engaging in unsafe sex. These actions may lead to death because of the risks associated with them (Lecca et al, 2011). Drug abuse is a leading killer among the young because of the increased chances of cardiovascular health complications. The respiratory system of a drug abuser is directly or indirectly affected when someone continuously uses hard drugs. The effect on the system could be permanent or temporary, depending on the amount of time one has been using the drug. This implies that one has higher chances of developing respiratory complication because of doing illicit drugs. The use of psychoactive drugs and other illicit drugs affects all lung compartments. The effect in the lungs leads in several morphological changes (Todorović, 2011). In the US, half of twelfth-graders accept that they have been involved in drug abuse at least once in their lives. These are young people, which means that young people abuse most of the illegal drugs. On the other hand, in Canada, the number of young people aged between 15 and 24 years who abuse drugs is higher than that among older people aged over twenty-five years. Moreover, abuse of marijuana, MDMA, and heroin leads to a diverse range of health complications including renal injury. It has to be understood that these health complications are a major concern both in the US and Canada. Majority of children and adolescents suffering from chronic kidney diseases have a history of drug abuse and this means that the situation could be controlled if abuse of drugs is checked. In addition, young people with preexisting chronic kidney diseases are at a higher risk of dying prematurely. Stress associated with drug abusers aggravates the health complications. The reason why young people do drugs can be attributed to changes that happen in their bodies and brains especially during teenage years. Brain areas associated with addiction and impulsivity undergo numerous changes and this results in higher chances of engaging in risk taking behaviors (Steele, Bolostotsky & Lau, 2012). Differences between Heroin, Marijuana, and MDMA Marijuana comes from the cannabis plant, which is largely cultivated in Central and Eastern Asia. Marijuana is not as harmful as heroin and there have been limited cases of overdoes across the globe. This can be attributed to the fact that no drugs found in the plant’s resin are harmful. Smoking the plant’s matter is as harmful as smoking cigarettes to one’s health but chewing it does not have any adverse effects on the user (Doweiko, 2011). The poppy plant, which is widely grown in some parts of Asia, is the source of heroin. It is a strong sedative with strong painkilling properties. It is moderately dangerous and an overdose leads to death of thousands of people in the world every year. It is strongly addictive, only second to tobacco, meaning that its usage may haunt a person for his or her entire lifetime. Although marijuana makes one’s thoughts provoked, hungry, and lazy, heroin use results in aggressive, paranoid, and egoistic behaviors in addition to numbing the user emotionally and physically (Doweiko, 2011). MDMA is not derived from any plant but it is synthetically produced from a mixture of chemicals. This is the reason why it is produced ad packed in capsules and at some times it is sold over the counter in certain pharmacies. Increased use of MDMA results in increased anxiety and panic attacks among the users. This normally happens after forty-five minutes after the user has ingested the tablet. Unlike marijuana and heroin, MDMA does not come from any plant. This means that the chemical can be produced in large quantities from the laboratory (Doweiko, 2011). Most illicit drugs are lethal because when bought on the streets, users are unable to administer the right doses as per their body masses. This implies that when the government controls most of the drugs, chances of fatalities would be limited. On the other hand, governments of several countries are not ready to legalize the usage of such drugs because they are addictive and do not have any healthy values to the user. Illegalizing the usage of these drugs leads to the emergence of street drugs under different names, which pose a risk to the health of the consumer. This means that legalizing such drugs could lead to controlled consumptions of the said drugs. During the prohibition years, people had no choice but to go for the banned products because they could not legally access alcohol. This did not lead to a reduced usage of alcohol because when it was legalized later, people went back to consuming it (Doweiko, 2011). Unlike heroin and MDMA, marijuana has been known to be less addictive and cases of overdoses that might lead to death are rare. This implies that marijuana is the safest recreational drug among the three dugs. On the contrary, laws have been enacted, which associate marijuana use to violence although studies have established that marijuana abusers are peaceful and can easily be assimilated in the society. Heroin and MDMA users are more aggressive as compared to marijuana users who depict signs of laziness and hunger. This implies that not all illegal drug abusers can be generalized as being social misfits (Doweiko, 2011). Why Heroin Should Be a Schedule II Drug Heroin is seven times stronger in its sedative abilities than morphine. This implies that people with extensive injuries should be put under heroin medication because studies have established that it has the powers of numbing the body. This can be attributed to the fact that pain affects both the sufferer and the people close to him or her. The main reason why heroin has been illegalized is its addictive powers. This is despite the fact that tobacco, which is legal, happens to be legal in almost all countries. This has not led to the reduction of consumption of the drug among people across the world but it has resulted in increased sale of the same drug on the streets. The fact that the drug has adversely affected mostly teenagers lies on the ideology that they do not know their dosage. Studies have shown that heroin users are aggressive but when they take controlled amounts of the drug, they can limit their angers (Doweiko, 2011). Classifying heroin as schedule II drugs means that possession, production, and distribution of the drug would not be a criminal offense. This implies that users would be allowed to obtain subscriptions of their drugs from a qualified person who will be able to ascertain their dosage. This would go a long way in reducing the number of deaths associated with heroin abuse. In addition, education about the adverse effects of heroin would be made available to young people who happen to be at the highest risk of doing drugs. Most drugs on the streets have high levels of impurities but this could be eliminated when the drugs are legalized. The leading cause of death among heroin users happens to be because of consuming highly lethal derivatives. Legalizing heroin would ensure that only the purest drug reaches the consumer and as a result, the number of people who die prematurely because of the drug, would be reduced (Doweiko, 2011). Conclusion Addictive drugs are a thorn to the flesh of many societies and governments because in most cases the abusers happen to be social misfits. Despite the fact that numerous governments across the world have declared war on these drugs, very little success has been noticed. This can be attributed to the fact that most of the steps taken by the authorities are counteractive because people are taking advantage of the banning of the drugs to make profit. Trading in banned substances is very profitable because of the inflated prices on these products. This means that drug barons are gaining the most out of illegalizing drugs, which are choice drugs for the majority of people across all societies. This implies that illegalization of these drugs does not solve the problem but it makes it worse because the young, are always ready to take even the most adverse risks. Young people and especially teenagers need to be taught on the importance of abstaining from drugs because banning the drugs cannot deter them from taking risks. Illegalizing possession of marijuana, MDMA, and heroin based on their addictive powers and their lack of any medicinal values contradicts the reason why tobacco use is legal in almost all countries. What the people need is an understanding of the adverse effects of engaging in certain drugs. Tobacco use is a leading killer in the world but it does not have any medicinal values. References Doweiko, H. E. (2011). Concepts of Chemical Dependency. New York: Cengage Learning. Lecca, S., Melis, M., Luchicchi, A., Ennas, M. G., Castelli, M. P., Muntoni, A. L. & Pistis. M. (2011). "Effects of drugs of abuse on putative rostromedial tegmental neurons, inhibitory afferents to midbrain dopamine cells." Neuropsychopharmacology: Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 36(3): 589-602. Steele, M. R..., Bolostotsky, V. & Lau, K. K. (2012). "The dangers of substance abuse in adolescents with chronic kidney disease: A review of the literature." CANNT Journal, 22(1): 15-24. Todorović, M. S., Mitrović, S., Aleksandrić, B., Mladjenović, N. & Matejić, S. (2011). "Association of pulmonary histopathological findings with toxicological findings in forensic autopsies of illicit drug users." Military Medical & Pharmaceutical Journal of Serbia & Montenegro, 68(8): 639-642. Verdejo-Garcıa, A. J., Lopez-Torrecillas, F., Arcos, F. A., & Pe´rez-Garcıa, M. (2005). “Differential effects of MDMA, cocaine, and cannabis use severity on distinctive components of the executive functions in polysubstance users: A multiple regression analysis.” Addictive Behaviors 30: 89–101. Read More