Narcotic

The term narcotic, derived from the Greek word narkoticos, meaning "benumbing or deadening", originally referred to a variety of substances that induced sleep (such state is narcosis). In the U.S. legal context, narcotic refers to opium, opium derivatives, and their semisynthetic or totally synthetic substitutes. Cocaine and coca leaves, which are classified as "narcotics" in the U.S. Controlled Substances Act (CSA), are technically not narcotics.

Hazards

Among the hazards of careless or excessive drug use are the increasing risk of infection, disease and overdose. Medical complications common among recreational narcotic users arise primarily from the non-sterile practices of injecting. Skin, lung and brain abscesses, endocarditis, hepatitis and AIDS are commonly found among persons with narcotic dependencies. There has been much exaggeration of the dangers related to the adulterants found in street drugs- such as heroin- where rumours abound (e.g. ground glass, talcum powder, rat poison, domestic cleeaning powders) about what is used to 'cut' street drugs. Recent evidence however shows that this kind of 'dangerous adulteration' is largely mythical and that far less cutting of drugs than is normally assumed actually takes place. However, since there is no simple way to determine the purity of a drug that is sold on the street, the effects of using street narcotics are unpredictable. It remains the case however that the greatest risk presented by most illicit drugs relates to the drugs themeselves and how they are used e.g. in conjunction with other drugs (alcohol is a particularly risky drug to use whilst also using other street drugs); in excess (most recreational and non-excessive drug use does not result in harm), and how a drug is administered e.g. poor injecting practices.

Related Topics:
Endocarditis - Hepatitis - AIDS

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Most of these hazards are secondary to illegality and impurities, rather than being inherent to the chemicals themselves. This is one of the arguments used for legalization of narcotics (drug legalization): not that heroin isn't harmful, but that addicts would be at less risk if they could go to a pharmacy and get heroin of known purity, with no dangerous contaminants, and clean syringes. As we have seen however this particular danger has been overstated and has been used by both legalisers and prohibitionists to support their own arguments: prohibitionists argue that 'dirty' street drugs are yet another reason as to why we should have a no-tolerance approach to both drugs and drug dealers. One suggestion is to make narcotics prescription-only, in order to discourage casual use and experimentation. During the 1990s, clean syringes became more readily available, despite opponents who feared that this would meant that society "condoned drug use". HIV and hepatitis infection rates dropped among opiate injectors who had access to clean syringes.

Related Topics:
Legalization - Drug legalization - Contaminants - Syringes - HIV - Hepatitis

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