A History of Opium and Heroin Addiction in the United States Documentary (1972)

http://thefilmarchive.org/

Opium (poppy tears, lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine. The traditional method of obtaining the latex is to scratch ("score") the immature seed pods (fruits) by hand; the latex leaks out and dries to a sticky yellowish residue that is later scraped off the fruit. The modern method is to harvest and process mature plants by machine. "Meconium" historically referred to related, weaker preparations made from other parts of the poppy or different species of poppies.

The production of opium itself has basically not changed since ancient times. However, through selective breeding of the Papaver somniferum plant, the content of the phenanthrene alkaloids morphine, codeine, and to a lesser extent thebaine, has been greatly increased. In modern times, much of the thebaine, which often serves as the raw material for the synthesis for hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and other semi-synthetic opiates, originates from extracting Papaver orientale or Papaver bracteatum.

Opium for illegal use is often converted into heroin, which is less bulky, making it easier to smuggle, and which multiplies its potency to approximately twice that of morphine. Heroin can be taken by intravenous injection, intranasally, or smoked (vaporized) and inhaled.

Opioid dependency is a medical diagnosis characterized by an individual's inability to stop using opioids (morphine/heroin, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, etc.) even when objectively it is in his or her best interest to do so. In 1964 the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence introduced "dependence" as "A cluster of physiological, behavioural and cognitive phenomena of variable intensity, in which the use of a psychoactive drug (or drugs) takes on a high priority. The necessary descriptive characteristics are preoccupation with a desire to obtain and take the drug and persistent drug-seeking behaviour. Determinants and problematic consequences of drug dependence may be biological, psychological or social, and usually interact". The core concept of the WHO definition of "drug dependence" requires the presence of a strong desire or a sense of compulsion to take the drug; and the WHO and DSM-IV-TR clinical guidelines for a definite diagnosis of "dependence" require that three or more of the following six characteristic features be experienced or exhibited: * 1. A strong desire or sense of compulsion to take the drug; * 2. Difficulties in controlling drug-taking behaviour in terms of its onset, termination, or levels of use; * 3. A physiological withdrawal state when drug use is stopped or reduced, as evidenced by: the characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the substance; or use of the same (or a closely related) substance with the intention of relieving or avoiding withdrawal symptoms; * 4. Evidence of tolerance, such that increased doses of the drug are required in order to achieve effects originally produced by lower doses; * 5. Progressive neglect of alternative pleasures or interests because of drug use, increased amount of time necessary to obtain or take the drug or to recover from its effects; * 6. Persisting with drug use despite clear evidence of overtly harmful consequences, such as harm to the liver, depressive mood states or impairment of cognitive functioning.

The Walid-Robinson Opioid-Dependence (WROD) Questionnaire was designed based on these guidelines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin_addiction

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[mbphofan]

sitting here shaking while watching this. I used heroin intravenously from when i was 20 until i was 25. A pure nightmare. Dreadfull. Stopped using heroin cold turkey 2 days prior to my first appt at the meth clinic. This was 2 years ago. Clean ever since, right up to this second. Still on methadone tho. PEOPLE: do not let this shit take your life from you. From one caring person to another. All it takes is ONE time. you will lose EVERYTHING. ur only 2 choices are death or jail

[ChungMoneyOfficial]

this video deserves alot more views!

[mbphofan]

@MrBlaze416 why are you telling me this? i dont care at all that u sniffed a baloon or that a .1 makes you sleep for hours.  You dont know me, so dont come on here callin me a moron. Why cant ppl just have a civilized convo without talking shit??? Do you live in the 416 or 905? Im just curious why its at the end of your username? Im 416 toronto all day.

[MrBlaze416]

my own way for describing a heroin high is like using a hair dryer all over your body along with rubbing a feather across your skin for hours .....its niceeeeeeeeeee

[MrBlaze416]

@JoshNortonalias no but doing it constantly to the point your body needs it is .....i dont give a fuck about what any one says you CAN do heroin once and never touch it again...its called SELF CONTROLL ...like fuck...walk to ur local coffee shop and look at people picking ciggarettes off the ground and shit u wanna be 1 of them? im no one to talk because im a dope user myself but for real....gain sum self control. theirs more to life then drugs.

[MrBlaze416]

@mbphofan wtf u talkin bout bro... i sniffed a balloon yesterday nd 2 days before yesterday im fine moron....in my own opinion OXYS fuck u more than dope does....if i smoke an oxy or smash it sniff it w.e im fiending for another 40 3 hours later....i sniff a .1 of dope nd im sleeping on my couch for hours...i do agree with you though i have seen many people get clean through methadone and i believe it works wonders since i was addicted to oxies for years but it is mind over matter...

[JoshNortonalias]

Heroin withdrawal isn't mind over fucking matter.

[mrjamessneddon72]

It takes a righ man and makes him poor, takes a virgin an makes her a whore!

So take heid.

[beltown420]

@ilovefrankandbeans However, there's still that desire to get high because marijuana is 100% natural, has very little side effects, and makes you feel great. But like anything, it's always mind over matter.

[beltown420]

@ilovefrankandbeans I have recently stopped smoking for about 3 months, and at first there were some physical withdrawals symptoms such as insomnia, lack of appetite and difficulty concentrating, but these go away soon (once i started drinking more :P).

[beltown420]

@ilovefrankandbeans Heroin only becomes physically addictive after the user has used it consistently till the point that their body's chemistry has changed. Personally, I don't know how severe withdrawals from heroin are because I never used it more than one day in a row. As for marijuana, yes it is very reinforcing, and I have smoked it all day everyday for about 3 years.