From Hero to Zero: The Social Problems of Heroin
The story of heroin
Heroin, also called diamorphine, was first synthesized by C. R. Alder Wright. Wright’s invention, however, did not become popular right away. About 20 years later, scientists working at the German drug company Bayer produced an acetylated form of morphine when they tried to produce codeine. The scientists found that this acetylated form of morphine is more potent than morphine. They gave this drug a brand new name: Heroin. At the time, morphine was a popular drug, however, it had a problem of addictive side-effects. In 1898, the Bayer company marketed heroin as a substitution for morphine and advertised it as a non-addictive drug. It was used as the treatment for cough-inducing …show more content…
Vietnam War lasted around 19 years, from 1955 to 1975. 16 May 1971, The New York Times ran an article on the front page of the newspaper: G.I. Heroin Addiction Epidemic in Vietnam. Later in the same year, Morgan F. Murphy and Robert H. Steele, who were American Congressmen, found out that 15 percent of US soldiers had Heroin addiction (Murphy and Steele 1971). The American society was afraid that after the war, there would be a lot of heroin addicts walking around their neighborhood. However, Lee Robins, a researcher who was in charge of tracking the veterans, reported an unexpected result (Robins et al. 2010). He found out that 95 percent of the veterans eliminated their addiction when they returned to America. This report reminds people that when discussing Heroin addiction, there are more aspects that need to be …show more content…
At the time, heroin was a “heroic” drug as a cough suppressant with no addictive side-effects. However, the hero became criminal in around 65 years. Today, around 55 years after the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was signed, the heroin problem still remains. “I believe that drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrong government policies have destroyed much more,” wrote by the former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (Annan 2016). For every plus, there is a minus. People can be addicted to things other than drug (e.g., alcohol, gambling, sex, or shopping). It is possible to be addicted to almost
The story of heroin
Heroin, also called diamorphine, was first synthesized by C. R. Alder Wright. Wright’s invention, however, did not become popular right away. About 20 years later, scientists working at the German drug company Bayer produced an acetylated form of morphine when they tried to produce codeine. The scientists found that this acetylated form of morphine is more potent than morphine. They gave this drug a brand new name: Heroin. At the time, morphine was a popular drug, however, it had a problem of addictive side-effects. In 1898, the Bayer company marketed heroin as a substitution for morphine and advertised it as a non-addictive drug. It was used as the treatment for cough-inducing …show more content…
Vietnam War lasted around 19 years, from 1955 to 1975. 16 May 1971, The New York Times ran an article on the front page of the newspaper: G.I. Heroin Addiction Epidemic in Vietnam. Later in the same year, Morgan F. Murphy and Robert H. Steele, who were American Congressmen, found out that 15 percent of US soldiers had Heroin addiction (Murphy and Steele 1971). The American society was afraid that after the war, there would be a lot of heroin addicts walking around their neighborhood. However, Lee Robins, a researcher who was in charge of tracking the veterans, reported an unexpected result (Robins et al. 2010). He found out that 95 percent of the veterans eliminated their addiction when they returned to America. This report reminds people that when discussing Heroin addiction, there are more aspects that need to be …show more content…
At the time, heroin was a “heroic” drug as a cough suppressant with no addictive side-effects. However, the hero became criminal in around 65 years. Today, around 55 years after the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was signed, the heroin problem still remains. “I believe that drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrong government policies have destroyed much more,” wrote by the former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (Annan 2016). For every plus, there is a minus. People can be addicted to things other than drug (e.g., alcohol, gambling, sex, or shopping). It is possible to be addicted to almost