Opiate AddictionAlex, Juan, Jesse, Kim and Brooke
OpiatesWhat are Opiates?
Common Day ExamplesMorphine and Heroin
Illicit vs. licit
EffectsShort term
Long term
Usage in HistoryRecreation vs. Medicinal uses in
history
How the trend spread among countries
Beginning of Controversy
Addiction: Drug induced or personality induced?
Criminalization and Demedicalization
Middle of 1920’s addicts were seen as “dope fiends”
Why do you think there was such a drastic change in the way society viewed addicts?
International Control
Opiates are “evil”
“The Opium Problem”
Opiate Prohibition- except medical purposes
Harrison ActThree major provisions
Purpose of Harrison Act
Do you guys think that the Harrison Act was the smart thing to do?◦What would have been a better
strategy?
Interpreting the Harrison Act
What really happened with the Harrison Act
“Opium Doctors”
Treasury Department Concern
Supreme Court and Addiction
How did the supreme Court see addiction?
Narcotic Clinics
Clinics to “cure” addicts.
The closing of clinics
Do you guys think they should have kept the clinics open?
A New Class of CriminalsNew Social Problems
New Laws
What is your opinion about “ Drug Addicts”?◦Did we create this definition or was it
already there?
Reign of the Criminal DesignationConsequences of Making Opium
Illegal◦Left people with two choices
◦Created an addict subculture
◦Made Opiates highly profitable commodity for criminals
Change in population of addictsCertain social categories are more
easily morally condemned than others. Ex minorities
Population became typified by young black males
American moral hostility increased proportionately
Harrison act pushed addiction to area populated by lower classes and crime underworld.
Addiction becomes a criminal menaceNarcotics Division
institutionalized definition of addiction as national policy
Through “educational” efforts it changed the image of addict from ailment to evil
Because of its “success” they got an increased budget.
Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN)Henry J. Anslinger was appointed
head of FBNViewed opiate addiction as a
criminal problem and user as a moral degenerate
Harrison Act caused many people to be arrested.
Farms were created“Get tough” laws reinforced the
criminal definition of addict.
Why narcotics laws have failed
Continual demand for chemical substances
Opiates are drugs with addicting properties
Relapse rates are high
Government attempt to control Industry helped maintain high prices
Laws gave rise to criminal underworld
The British Experience
Dangerous Drug Act• Parliament enacted in 1920
• Intention to limit opiate distribution to medical channels
• Dispute between Physicians and Law Enforcement
• Great Britain was seen as authority by American champions
British Model
• They let addicts have opiate prescriptions
• Black Market for drugs was nonexistent
• Addicts were employed, successful citizens
• NO DRUG RELATED CRIMES
Why it’s important
• First time, Physicians were given Authority over addiction
• Addiction was seen as a treatment
How it Ended• It was discredited in the 1960s when addicts
skyrocketed
• In 1961 their committee met again and decided everything was ok
• 1965 they blamed it on irresponsible physicians
• Then they affirmed again that addiction was a sickness
• There is no evidence supporting that the British were any closer to having a “cure”
Methadone And The Remedicalization of Opiate Addiction
What is Methadone?Main uses of MethadoneMethadone Experiment at
Rockefeller University.Two useful effects of Methadone.
“Heroin Epidemic” and Available Treatment
Heroin increase in 1960.Robinson Supreme Court Decision in
1962.Synanon Therapeutic Community.
Adoption of Methadone Maintenance as Public Policy
Maintenance of narcotics.
Highest Heroin addiction is in New York City.
Journal of the American Medical Association.
Nixon Administration as a Champion of Methadone Maintenance
Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Problems
Cost of MaintenanceHow many addicts were involved?
Methadone RevisionistsPopular and common treatment for
addiction.Methadone as a black-market street drug.Methadone more addictive?
Final Note on Methadone and Medicalization
Medical Technological DiscoveryWhat was its greatest boost?Criminal approach to deviance on
opiate users.