PS268 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Golden Crescent, Rhinorrhea, Intramuscular Injection
MODULE III: Illegal Recreational Drugs
(Chapter 13
−
Opioids)
Ch 13.1 − History of Opioids
Cultivation & History of Opium
- Papaver Sonmiferum: the poppy that brings sleep
o Being used for medical purposes for over 6,000 years
- Opioid term replaced by:
o Narcotic
o Analgesic
o Narcotic Analgesic
- How to harvest:
o Cut the plant a little, then come back later to collect opium sap
▪ Opium is produced and available for collection
• For only a few days of the poppy plant’s life
Opium Wars
- People ate opium for years, with very few problems
o Then they started smoking it − thanks to Columbus
- 1729 − Opium smoking outlawed in China, but smuggling was widespread
- British East India Company was involved in opium trade
o Legally in India and illegally in China
- Pressure grew and eventually war broke out between the British and Chinese
o 1839-42; 1856-60 − opium wars
▪ China loses − forced to allow opium sales by the British
Morphine
- 1806 − active ingredient in opium isolated
o 10x as potent as opium
o Morphine: after Morpheus − the god of dreams
- 1832 − another Alkaloid of opium discovered
o Codeine: from the Greek word for poppy head
- Medically-useful characteristic:
o Pure chemical
o Known potency
- Use spread to two developments:
o 1853 − hypodermic syringe allowed delivery of morphine directly into the blood
o Widespread use during the war provided relief from pain/dysentery
▪ Any veterans who depended on morphine, their dependence was later called
soldier’s disease or army disease
- Morphine allowed detailed surgery − not just amputation
o Battlefield Surgical Kit: bone saw, meat knife, wire cutters
- It was originally thought that orally would not provide the same amount of craving
o Turned out false
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- Morphine also stops diarrhea and stops you from dying of dehydration
Heroin
- Two acetyl groups added to morphine in the lab − creating diacetylmorphine
o Brand name − heroin
o Placed on the marked in 1898 by Bayer
o 3x as potent as morphine
▪ Due to increased lipid solubility of the heroin molecule
- Marketed as a non-habit-forming substitute for codeine
o Later linked to dependence
- Acetyl groups make it get to the brain faster
o Basically the same as morphine after that
Opioid Use
- Not initially viewed as the problem
o Opium (especially morphine) was used to treat alcoholism
▪ Resulted in addiction but at least the addicts weren’t violent
- Patent medicines were socially acceptable and legal
o High drug levels − leads to withdrawal
Ch 13.2.a − Opium & Heroin Supply, Distribution, and Trafficking in Canada
Opium and Heroin
- Sold on the street as powder or dark brown solid
o Can be smoked, ingested, or injected
o Least potent
Opium Laws in Canada
- 1885 − Chinese Immigration Act
o Tax on Chinese to enter Canada
▪ 1885 − $50
▪ 1900 − $100
▪ 1903 − $500 (2 years wages)
- 1908 − Opium Act
o Act to prohibit the importation, manufacture, and sale of opium
▪ For other than medicinal purposes
- 1911 − Opium and Narcotic Drug Act
o Act to prohibit the improper use of opium and other drugs
- 1923 − Chinese Exclusion Act
o Chinese immigrants deemed the culprits in the opium trade
▪ Banned from immigrating to Canada
• Except for specific cases − merchant, diplomat, student, etc.
o Act was repealed in 1947
- 1996 − Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
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Ch 13.2.b − The Changing Profile of Opioid Users
The Opiate Problem
- Years ago, was related to smoked opium and injected heroin
o Both still occur today
- However, a new problem is emerging − abuse of prescription opiates
o Opiate abusers today are abusers of prescription opiates, not heroin
- Frequency of prescription opiate use by university students WITHOUT a prescription:
o In the past year − 10% of students
o At least once in their life − 15% of students
- Frequency of heroin use by university students:
o Most students have never used heroin
▪ Less than 1% who completed the survey have ever tried heroin
1960s in Vietnam
- Heroin use by American troops:
o Rate of use of about 5%
o Heroin was:
▪ Inexpensive
▪ About 95% pure − compared to 5% in the U.S.
▪ Easy to obtain
o Most users smoked or sniffed heroin
▪ Or even ate it
o Most users stopped when they returned to the U.S.
- Vietnam experience shown:
o Under certain conditions, a relatively high percentage of individuals will use
opioids recreationally
o Opioid dependence and compulsive use are not inevitable among occasional users
Ch 13.3.a − Beneficial Uses
Medical Uses
- Before morphine was purified, millions of people died every year from diarrhea or coughing
o Ex. tuberculosis − whooping cough
▪ If you cough all the time you can’t sleep
• Eventually you wear down and die
o Suppressed the brain stem, and slows breathing at low doses
- Pain Relief:
o Reduced the emotional response to pain
▪ Diminished the patient’s awareness of and response to the aversive stimulus
o Typically caused drowsiness
- Treatment of intestinal disorder
o Decrease intestinal motility
▪ They can help control diarrhea
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Module iii: illegal recreational drugs (chapter 13 opioids) Papaver sonmiferum: the poppy that brings sleep: being used for medical purposes for over 6,000 years. Opioid term replaced by: narcotic, analgesic, narcotic analgesic. How to harvest: cut the plant a little, then come back later to collect opium sap, opium is produced and available for collection, for only a few days of the poppy plant"s life. People ate opium for years, with very few problems: then they started smoking it thanks to columbus. 1729 opium smoking outlawed in china, but smuggling was widespread. British east india company was involved in opium trade: legally in india and illegally in china. Pressure grew and eventually war broke out between the british and chinese: 1839-42; 1856-60 opium wars, china loses forced to allow opium sales by the british. 1806 active ingredient in opium isolated.
