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.