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Heroin Addiction - Help for Addicts www.helpingaddicts.net
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Heroin Overview - History
UNITED KINGDOM THE HISTORY In the 19th century opiates were a popular ‘cure-all’ and could be bought without a prescription from grocers and other shops in the UK. Despite this free market, the levels of abuse and health damage from opiates was relatively limited. However, opiates were a major cause of poisoning deaths, particularly among young children given opium preparations as ‘soothers’ and there were also fears that the industrial working class might be using opiates as an intoxicant rather than a medicine. In their own profession and economic interests, doctors and pharmacists also wished for a monopoly of prescribing and dispensing opiates. In 1868 opiate sales were restricted to pharmacies, but not until after the 1st World War, when Britain implemented an international agreement, was the non-medical use of opium and opiates prohibited.
This ‘system’, relying heavily on the doctors discretion, worked well until the sixties when a group of younger users emerged who ‘recycled’ surplus heroin obtained from a few GPs. As a result, addiction spread and in 1968 all but a few specialist doctors were prohibited from prescribing heroin for addiction and hospital addiction treatment clinics were established. At least partly as a result of this, the mid-seventies saw the beginnings of a significant black market in imported illicitly manufactured heroin. Although licensed doctors can still prescribe heroin to addicts, most choose not to, so very little prescribed heroin reaches the illicit market. The main source being illegally imported. Now, nearly all the heroin misused in Britain comes from abroad illegally rather from doctors.
Over the past few years, good harvests in Asia and the Far East, new growing areas in Afghanistan and the Asian republics of the CIS, the ‘heroin for guns’ trade in the Yugoslav war and relaxed border controls in western Europe, have all contributed to the easier passage of heroin across Europe.
NOTIFICATIONS In the UK Doctors must notify the Home Office of any opiate users they see in their practice. Notifications have been rising steadily by around 17% each year to 1995, when nearly 38,000 persons were notified. It is generally accepted that the number of people using opiates on a heavy and regular basis is several times (perhaps even five times) the number notified to the Home Office. Notified addicts generally inject and are very heavy users; the percentage of those notified who said they injected their drugs (which might not just be heroin) fell from 64% in 1990 to 56% in 1994, but the absolute numbers of those injecting continue to rise. In 1994, 1500 of those notified were under 21 years old.
Most notified heroin users are 25 years old and over, accounting for nearly 70% of notifications in 1994 with only 9.5% under 21, although the numbers of those notified under the age of 21 doubled between 1990-4. In the younger age groups, heroin is mainly used on an intermittent or ‘recreational’ basis, the drug often being sniffed or smoked rather than injected. For those who continue their use, injecting often becomes the preferred method.
The available surveys do not suggest that opiate use is yet widespread in the general population, with commonly 1% or less of young people admitting heroin use at all. Nevertheless in some area (e.g. Deprived inner city areas) heroin use is quite common with increasing number of those under 21 becoming involved. Many of these users, e.g. those in care or homeless, will not be included in survey groups which tend to focus on school students, selected groups for market research, etc.
It is to be noted though, that this information is from 1995. Heroin use in the UK has been steadily on the rise, and the figures will be a lot larger by now. Heroin is increasingly becoming the ‘in’ drug.
DEATHS The number of addict deaths has steadily increased over the years from 166 in 1985 to 562 in 1993. Of that latest figure, over half were directly from overdosing of which 40% were attributed to methadone while heroin was only implemented in about one third of the deaths for that year. Other deaths were from natural causes, non-accidental injury such as homicide, suicide, etc. However, estimating the true nature of mortality is complicated by the fact that figures are compiled from a number of different sources and, for example, depend in part on the outcome of Coroner’s inquests where not all information about the circumstances on an individual death may be available.
UNITED STATES DRUG DEALING According to the U.S. Department of Justice, drugs are the number one crime problem in the United States. Drug dealing is estimated to be over a $100 billion dollar annual business. Huge profits are made by criminals outside the U.S. and those supplying drugs to local communities. The recent surge of juvenile gangs can be directly linked to the drug industry and the resulting increase in violence. Such violence is often directed at rival gangs but is also targeted at drug users and innocent people. Drug use also causes other consequences such as infant addiction, the spread of HIV disease and an increase in crimes such as armed robberies. In many neighborhoods, people are afraid to leave their homes or to let their children play outside for fear of drug dealer's demands or caught in the crossfire of violence. Because police have limited resources, they must utilize community support to stop drug dealing and education is the first step. Most gangs use juveniles to do their criminal work because the punishment for juvenile offenders is very light. It is important that children be taught the dangers of dealing and doing drugs before the gangs have a chance to reach them.
DRUG USE IN THE WORKPLACE Alcohol and drug use in the workplace is receiving attention due to the public's increased awareness and concern about safety, productivity and health. Each year alcohol and drugs cost taxpayers billions of dollars in Federal Government drug-related expenditures. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that between 5 and 10% of workers are heavy users of alcohol. Furthermore, they report the following statistics about workers who use drugs:
Compared to the average employee, workers who use alcohol and drugs are late to work three times more, receive sickness benefits three times more, have four times more on-the-job accidents and file five times more worker's compensation claims. They are also absent 16 times more and are absent for more than one week, which is two and a half times more than non-users. In addition to these problems, alcohol and drug use lowers productivity, increases equipment damage and increases the chance of injury to the public.
Businesses have responded to the alcohol and drug problem by implementing policies designed to prevent drug users from entering the workforce and to help those workers who are already using alcohol and drugs. The most common aspects of these policies are formal written drug policies, employee assistance programs and drug testing programs. Over 40% of U.S. companies provide employee assistance program services which are confidential, professional assistance. If you need assistance for a personal problem, see your company's EAP professional.
DRUG TESTING IN THE WORKPLACE The major law on workplace drugs is narrow - and it contains a few teeth. The Drug-Free Workplace Act, passed in 1988, dictates that workplaces receiving federal grants or contracts must be drug-free or lose the funding, although it does not call for testing or monitoring workers.
Work-related drug tests take a number of forms. Analyzing urine samples is the method most commonly used, but samples of a worker's blood, hair and breath can also be tested for the presence of alcohol or other drugs in the body. Typically, state laws set out the testing methods that must be used. Many statutes provide for retesting, at the employee's expense, following a positive test. Metabolics of illegal substances remain in urine for various periods: cocaine for approximately 72 hours, marijuana for three weeks or more. Detectable residues apparently remain in hair samples for several months.
Approximately 20% of working Americans are in a company that does drug testing. Overall drug testing results are declining nationally each year. Employers use the tests for three reasons: to avoid hiring new applicants who use drugs; to discourage drug use by current employees; and to identify workers who are drug users. Although drug testing has proven effective, there are definite problems. For example, the fact that a person tests positive for a drug does not mean they are under the influence of that drug. Not all tests are 100% accurate and a positive test can not determine if the person is an occasional user or dependent. This makes it hard to determine what course of action to take if an employee tests positive. Should employers be able to terminate the worker's employment or should the employee be required to enter drug treatment or drug education classes? These questions have yet to be resolved although a number of states have passed comprehensive drug testing legislation, requiring that employers have "probable cause", or a "reasonable suspicion" to test employees for drugs. Violation of the worker's civil rights and the employer's duty to provide a safe workplace are still under review by the courts.
In general, employers have the right to test new job applicants for traces of drugs in their systems as long as:
Today, most companies that intend to conduct drug testing on job candidates include in their job applications an agreement to submit to such testing. If, in the process of applying for a job, you are asked to agree to drug testing, you have little choice but to agree to the test or drop out as an applicant.
SMUGGLING The number of drugs being smuggled into the United States continues to increase. According to the National Drug Control Strategy, the major high intensity drug trafficking areas are Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, New York City, and the US/Mexico border. The drugs are then distributed to other major cities, reaching almost every city and rural community in the US. Cocaine is one of the principle drugs being smuggled into the country. Most of it is processed in South America and distributed by the powerful cartels. The cartels are large, highly structured organizations that use their wealth and power to corrupt the law and government officials who try to stop their operations.
Heroin is another drug being smuggled into the US. It is second only to cocaine in the number of addicts. About 40% of the heroin smuggled into the US is produced in Mexico. New synthetic forms of heroin that are cheaper and more deadly promise to be a problem for US drug enforcement agencies and will continue to be a problem as long as there is a demand for the product. State and federal penalties for distribution of illicit drugs are severe and often include imprisonment.
DRUGS AND ADOLESCENTS Studies are beginning to show a rise in teen drug use in the United States. The rise in illicit drug use has been particularly pronounced in the case of marijuana. For example, in the late 1970's, 37% of teens questioned said they had smoked marijuana in the past month. In the mid 1980's, 25% said they had. Likewise, teen use of inhalants and hallucinogens such as LSD has gradually increased since the early 1980's. Almost two-thirds of our teenagers try some kind of illegal drug before they leave high school.
The Department of Health and Human Services has identified changes in behavior which may be signs that a teen is involved in drug use. These include the following:
If you think your teenager has a problem with drugs or alcohol, there are organizations and agencies that can help. Your family doctor or local health department may be able to recommend a treatment program.
NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY ON DRUG ABUSE According to the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an estimated 2.4 million people use heroin at some time in their lives, and nearly 216,000 of them reported using it within the month preceding the survey. This is probably an underestimation. It is estimated that there were 141,000 new heroin users in 1995, and that there has been an increasing trend in new heroin use since 1992. The majority of these new users were smoking, snorting, or sniffing heroin, and most were under age 26.
Heroin use among males is 35% higher than use among females. In 1995/96, there were thought to be approximately 298,000 males using heroin and only 144,000 females. The difference in the amount of people using heroin among different races was substantial. The number of White individuals using heroin was estimated to be 304,000 in 1995/96. The number of Black individuals using heroin was 91,000, less than one third the amount of white individuals. The number of Hispanic individuals using heroin was 39,000 and all others together came to about 7,000. The fact that Black and Hispanic individuals are minorities must be taken into consideration when looking at this data. Their populations are much smaller and this will in turn make their statistics smaller.
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Last updated: 15 March 2003 |
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