Drug abuse

“ Only a decade ago, many people believed that drug abuse was an insurmountable problem. Throughout America, parents, educators, law enforcement officials, and other community leaders are proving that the fight against drugs can be won. ”

“ Research and experience have given us new insight into the causes and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse. Most important, Americans have changed their attitudes toward both drugs and drug users. Negative attitudes have been replaced with understanding, and drug abuse is seen for what it really is: destructive of life's potential and a tragic waste of health and opportunity.
We have developed a sense of responsibility, collectively and individually. Today, we hold the key to creating a drug-free society: prevention of drug abuse through awareness and education. ”

“ Adverse effects of the abuse and misuse of dangerous drugs on the person, the family, the school and the community; Preventive measures against drug abuse; Health, socio-cultural, psychological, legal and economic dimensions and implications of the drug problem; Steps to take when intervention on behalf of a drug dependent is needed, as well as the services available for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug dependents ”

“ Across America, all levels of government, businesses, educational institutions, civic groups, and individual citizens are organizing activities which will help persons of all ages to say "no" to drug abuse. These Americans are committed to raising the awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and creating a positive environment in which drug abuse is unacceptable behavior. ”

“ Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical substance that results in physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment in an individual. Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self- awareness, and emotion. ”

“ Drug abuse costs our Nation more than 14,000 lives and billions of dollars each year. A recent study by the Department of Justice confirms that drug use continues to be a factor in crimes such as burglary, auto theft, assault, and murder, and that one in six offenders commits a crime just to get money for drugs. ”

“ New data show that illicit drug use amongst young people continues to decline, and that we are making good progress in our efforts to help thousands of Americans renew their health and hope.
Substance abuse is a serious challenge for our Nation. Addiction breaks hearts, destroys families, and keeps our citizens from fulfilling their God-given potential. The drug trade also enriches our enemies and brings crime and violence to our streets. ”

“ But the worst of it all is that through the carelessness of physicians, and sometimes through their criminal pretentions, habits are formed for certain drugs, such as cocaine, opium and its products, chloral and alcohol, which enslave their victims, weaken their vitality, and invite disease. I think I do not exaggerate it when I say that the drug habit, no matter how induced, is a menace to the American people. ”

“ We shall save much public money, and personal effort and time, and shall save the narcotic addict much suffering and discouragement, and shall add much to human health, competency and happiness when we realize these facts as applied to addiction-disease, and proceed upon them in a spirit of broad humanity and of rational clinical study and remedy of obvious disease symptomatology. Narcotic drug addiction-disease is a definite, and in most cases arrestable disease. ”

“ Until the medical profession and the medical institutions—hospital and otherwise—have in competent execution methods of handling and treatment of the narcotic addict which are more humane and more effective than those shown by ample testimony to be in common use, the supply of narcotic drug to the responsible narcotic addict to the extent of physical need, without unjustifiable exploitation, financial or otherwise, is the duty of the medical man. ”

“ The constant use of narcotics produces a condition in the human body that many physicians of medical authority now recognize as a definite disease, which diseased condition absolutely requires a continued administration of narcotics to keep the body in normal function unless proper treatment and cure is provided.
“Withdrawal of the drug of addiction induces such fundamental physical disorganization and unbearable pain that addicts are driven to any extreme to obtain narcotic drugs and allay their suffering by self-administration. ”

“ The many wrecks of addicts to be seen trying through insufficient supply of narcotic drug, self-poisoned with other drugs which they have purchased, alcohol, bromides, coal tar products, cocaine, and of late hyoscine—their addiction disease unrelieved and undiminished—are sufficient argument against mere reduction of dose, below physical body need. ”

“ The tendency of the psychologist and psychiatrist is to analyze him from the viewpoint of mental weakness, defect or degeneration, and to so classify and regard him. The average practitioner of internal medicine, and even the recognized leaders and authorities in this field of medical science will tell you that narcotic drug addiction is a condition to which they have given but little attention and have no clean-cut ideas of its physical disease problems. ”

“ In other words, in narcotic drug addiction some antidotal toxic substance has become the constantly present poison, and the narcotic drug itself has become simply the antidote demanded for its control. ”

“ It is evident therefore, that upon the intelligent and competent estimation, measure and control of physical narcotic drug balance and inhibition of function depend the reaction, well being and therapeutic progress of the man who has narcotic drug addiction-disease. These factors also markedly influence the action of all medication, including the drug of addiction, upon the body of the opiate addict. ”

“ Despite the years of effort that have been devoted to handling the narcotic addict on the basis of inferiority and neurotic tendencies, and of weakness of will and perverted appetite—in spite of exhortation, investigation, law-making and criminal prosecution—in spite of the various specific and special cures and treatments—narcotic addiction has increased and spread in our country until it has become a recognized menace calling forth stringent legislation and desperate attempts at administrative and police control. ”

“ Testimony of physicians coming in contact with the addicts and statements of addicts themselves show that those afflicted with this disease express every desire to secure humane and competent treatment and cure and that most narcotic drug users are willing to undergo physical torture and often do voluntarily undergo such torture, in an effort to be rid of their so-called habit. ”

“ It has yet to be demonstrated that there is any warm-blooded animal, which following sufficiently prolonged and constant administration of opiate drug, is immune to the development of the symptomatology and constant physical phenomena of addiction-disease.
Color, nationality, social or economic position, age, mental and moral attributes of whatever sort are no bar to the development of the condition. These may influence, of course, the conduct and incidental manifestations of the individual addicted, just as they do in any other condition. ”

“ But neither this combination of drugs nor any other combination known to man can prevent persons, after they are free from their addiction—be it alcohol or morphin—from going out and repoisoning themselves by taking again the drug which has poisoned them and led them on to their habitual intoxication. ”

“ It will be found upon careful examination that they are average individuals in their mental and moral fundamentals. Among them are many men and women of high ideals and worthy accomplishments, whose knowledge of narcotic administration was first gained by “withdrawal” agonies following cessation of medication, who have never experienced pleasure from narcotic drug, are normal mentally and morally, and unquestionably victims of a purely physical affliction. ”

“ Evidence offered by physicians shows that many addicts have died under the methods of treatment existing to-day and that a large percentage of those discharged from institutions as ‘cured’ are driven back to use of narcotics through unbearable physical torture induced by improper withdrawal of their drug. ”

“ In a majority of cases by experienced choice of clinical procedure, combined with judgment and technical skill, the arrest of addiction-mechanism and the restoration of the narcotic addict to health and freedom from both opiate need and thought of opiate drug is a matter of assured accomplishment attended by little if any nervous strain and physical suffering. ”

“ One of the most needed achievements in the line of practical remedy is the admission of narcotic drug addiction-disease to its legitimate place as an accepted part of the practice of internal medicine and the stimulating of education concerning it among medical practitioners, medical students and nurses. ”

“ During my early attempts with the commonly known and too frequently routinely followed procedures of sudden deprivation, gradual reduction and special or specific treatment, etc., my patients beginning with the best intentions in the world, often tried to beg, steal or get in any possible way the drug of their addiction. ”

“ They should be classed as innocent or [Pg 28] accidental addicts—normal and worthy sick people. They earnestly desire treatment and help, and once their addiction process is completely arrested do not tend to return to narcotic drug use. ”

“ The drugs chiefly used are cocaine, opium, laudanum, morphine and heroin. These drugs are much more destructive than alcohol. Cocaine and heroin are the worst. It is very difficult to stop using any of them once the habit has been formed. Nearly every "fiend" dies directly or indirectly from the effect of his particular drug. Every one weakens the body so that there is not much resistance to offer to acute diseases. Every one destroys the will power so that a cure is exceedingly difficult. ”

“ The addicted judge, or the addicted physician, or the addicted clergyman, or the addicted man of business or other affairs, or the addicted clerk or industrial worker reacts differently to the sufferings and trials of narcotic drug addiction than does the addict of the underworld, or the heroin “sniffer” of idle and curious adolescence, or the addicted defective, degenerate, or criminal. Also he reacts differently to everything else. What is true of one man who has opiate addiction may be absolutely false of another. One narcotic addict is honest, competent, truthful and intelligent. ”

“ It is to be laid at the door of insufficient medical comprehension of addiction-disease and its mechanism in its material manifestations, and in its functional and organic influences, and at the door of inadequate clinical study into the analysis, estimation and control of these. Like much else that has been for generations generally accepted as true about narcotic drug addiction, the belief is erroneous that the addict is a poor surgical and medical risk because he is an addict. ”

“ Narcotic drug addiction-disease in the man who is vicious or criminal or defective or degenerate should be treated as narcotic drug addiction-disease, as any other disease is treated in the same individual. ”

“ Lack of understanding and appreciation of the disease of narcotic drug addiction and its treatment by a large majority of the medical profession has fostered conditions which make it impossible to determine a rational procedure for treating and curing the addicted by the State at this time. ”

“ They are the inherently irresponsible, vicious or defective. They demand care and restraint irrespective of their addiction. The mass of addicts, however, need something done for them. They are clinical problems of internal medicine, victims of a definite disease, characteristic in its symptomatology, reactions and phenomena, a disease which will before long come to be known as clinically and therapeutically controllable and arrestable. ”

“ Later I realized the fact that the blame rested almost entirely upon the shoulders of my medical inefficiency and my lack of understanding and ability to observe and interpret. The narcotic addict as a rule will co-operate and will suffer if necessary to the limit of his endurance. Demanding co-operation of a [Pg 7] completely developed case of opiate addiction during and following incompetent withdrawal of the drug is asking a man to co-operate for an indefinite period in his own torture. There is a well-defined limit to every one’s power of endurance of suffering. ”

“ Although some individuals, afflicted with this disease, may require custodial or correctional handling—the fundamental physical disease cannot be properly arrested nor handled successfully by mental, moral, sociological or penological methods only. Any toxic, worried, fear-ridden or suffering sick man may show psychological or even psychiatrical manifestations or complications, but observing and attempting to control complications only will not cure basic disease.
Even if it should some day develop that a serum can be produced against the underlying toxins of addiction-disease ”

“ The routine and unintelligent use of the products of these groups of drugs in the treatment of narcotic addiction—under the mistaken impression that they somehow or other have direct curative action upon the disease condition—has been the cause of a considerable mortality and an easily understood opposition among intelligent addicts. ”

“ A matter about which there has been a great deal of dispute is that of the prescribing or dispensing by the practitioner of medicine of opiate drugs to the narcotic addict in the handling of narcotic addiction, itself. The adherents of the older theory of addiction being merely habit or vicious indulgence, oppose as illegitimate practice the continued supply of the opiate to an addiction patient, unless in some cases the patient also suffers from some painful and incurable disease. ”