SOC305 Week 2 Assignment
Heroin: You will never get the first high again
Judy Thomas
Soc305: Crime & Society
Instructor: Erin Schouten
Ashford University
January 19, 2014
Heroin: You will never get the first high again
ABSTRACT:
Chasing the dragon is a way people smoke heroin. Heroin is a highly addictive narcotic derived from morphine. Because of its vulnerability to abuse, its medicinal use and sale are prohibited in the United States.” (Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and dictionary of medicine, 2003) The people who are addicted to heroin will place powdered heroin on foil and heating it from below the foil with a lighter. At this time the heroin turns to a sticky liquid and wriggles around on the foil like a Chinese dragon. Fumes are given off and it is inhaled sometimes through a rolled up newspaper, magazine or some kind of tube. There are “two-thirds of all heroin users chase the dragon; chasing the dragon is less of a health risk than people using needles.” (Kools, J., 1992) When a person shoots up everything goes straight into the blood stream: not just heroin but also anything the heroin has been cut with and any other toxic substances. Chasing the dragon means no toxic substances will directly get into a person’s bloodstream. The inhaling of heroin fumes would enter the lungs where the blood vessels would absorb the heroin.
What is the problem? Besides health problems, heroin causes many problems in society; families can be broken, relationships heroin could cause domestic violence, child abuse, and risk of sexually transmitted diseases. According to studies, “show that surprisingly, poor people spend a greater percentage of money on acquiring drugs than middle-class and upper-class people.” (Rehabs, 2015) What are the individual and social implications of this problem? The nature of social environmental factors influence on substance abuse is unclear. “A longitudinal study was undertaken to determine the relative power of social network and
Judy Thomas
Soc305: Crime & Society
Instructor: Erin Schouten
Ashford University
January 19, 2014
Heroin: You will never get the first high again
ABSTRACT:
Chasing the dragon is a way people smoke heroin. Heroin is a highly addictive narcotic derived from morphine. Because of its vulnerability to abuse, its medicinal use and sale are prohibited in the United States.” (Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and dictionary of medicine, 2003) The people who are addicted to heroin will place powdered heroin on foil and heating it from below the foil with a lighter. At this time the heroin turns to a sticky liquid and wriggles around on the foil like a Chinese dragon. Fumes are given off and it is inhaled sometimes through a rolled up newspaper, magazine or some kind of tube. There are “two-thirds of all heroin users chase the dragon; chasing the dragon is less of a health risk than people using needles.” (Kools, J., 1992) When a person shoots up everything goes straight into the blood stream: not just heroin but also anything the heroin has been cut with and any other toxic substances. Chasing the dragon means no toxic substances will directly get into a person’s bloodstream. The inhaling of heroin fumes would enter the lungs where the blood vessels would absorb the heroin.
What is the problem? Besides health problems, heroin causes many problems in society; families can be broken, relationships heroin could cause domestic violence, child abuse, and risk of sexually transmitted diseases. According to studies, “show that surprisingly, poor people spend a greater percentage of money on acquiring drugs than middle-class and upper-class people.” (Rehabs, 2015) What are the individual and social implications of this problem? The nature of social environmental factors influence on substance abuse is unclear. “A longitudinal study was undertaken to determine the relative power of social network and
References: Cheves, John (Jan. 2015) Kentucky Senate panel approves anti-heroin bill after emotional testimony Lexington Herald-Leader; News, sports and entertainment. Retrieved from http://www.kentucky.com/2015/01/07/3629090_kentucky-senate-panel- approves.html?rh=1 Kools, John-Peter (July 1992) Chasing the Dragon. Mainline, International Conference on Aids Amsterdam [special edition 7th) Retrieved from http://www.moravek.org/ovisnosti/dragon.htm Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Retrieved from http://medical- dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/%22chasing+the+dragon%22 Newman, T., (2014). How should our society deal with people who use drugs? Drug Policy Alliance Retrieved from http://www.drugpolicy.org/blog/how-should-our-society-deal- people-who-use-drugs Pilcher, James (Jan. 2015) St. Elizabeth to give out heroin OD kits. Cincinnati Enquirer Retrieved from http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2015/01/06/heroin-narcan- money/21342389/ Rehabs, (2015) Entering the best luxury Heroin Addiction Treatment Center Rehabs.com The Nation’s Best Rehabs. Retrieved from http://luxury.rehabs.com/heroin-addiction/social- impact/ Schreder, PhD, Latkin, PhD, Hoover, Phd, Curry, MHS, Knowlton, ScD, & Celentano, ScD, (September 6, 2000) Illicit Drug Use in One’s Social Network and in One’s Neighborhood predicts Individual Heroin and Cocaine Use. Annals of Epidemiology DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1047-2797 (01)000225-3 Volkow, Nora D. M.D. (2014). How is heroin linked to prescription drug abuse? National Institute on Drug Abuse Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrheroin-14.pdf