A Day In The Death Of Donny B. / Anti-Drug Docudrama / Music Video Enhanced
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
A Day In The Death Of Donny B. (1969). Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education, Health & Welfare; Director: Carl Fick; Producer: Louis Mucciolo; Production Company: Audio Productions. Public domain video.
Heroin (Diacetylmorphine) Information: Heroin is the common name of a substance known by the chemical name, diacetylmorphine. Heroin is synthesized from morphine, and morphine is synthesized from opium produced by the plant known by the botanical name Papaver Somniferum (common name opium poppy). Rather than being a different drug, heroin is a method of preparing morphine so that it is absorbed more efficiently by the human body, when injected. If heroin is injected into a human, more morphine will reach the brain than it would if the same amount of morphine were injected. Injecting about 5mg of heroin will produce the same results as injecting 10mg of morphine. Heroin can also be snorted, smoked, or taken orally. However, these other routes of administration are not recommended. They are not as efficient and most of the drug is wasted. If you are not going to inject heroin, an equal amount of morphine will produce similar results. When it is not injected, the heroin is usually totally metabolized by the human body before it can affect the amount of morphine that reaches the brain. So the effects of heroin are nearly the same as an equivalent amount of morphine when snorted, smoked, or taken orally. The time it takes to feel the effects depends on the method of administration. Snorting heroin results in onset within 10-15 minutes. Smoking heroin results in an almost immediate (milder) effect which gets stronger if more is smoked in that particular session. Intravenous injection results in rush and euphoria within 7-8 seconds, intramuscular injection takes about 5-8 minutes. Orally, as when heroin or morphine are ingested in pill form, it can take 60-90 minutes to feel anything. The primary effects of morphine (the main active ingredient in heroin) are a cessation or reduction of pain and/or a euphoric and content feeling. Heroin and morphine use almost always causes constipation, thinking may be slower, and a user may feel nausea or vomit. Opioid itch, an itch caused by taking an opium based drug, may be present. Another physical effect of morphine is respiratory system depression. This makes it an excellent cough suppressant. It is also usually the cause of death in a heroin or morphine overdose. According to the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an estimated 2.4 million people in the USA used heroin at some time in their lives. Nearly 216,000 of them reported using it within the month preceding the survey. The survey report estimates that there were 141,000 new heroin users in 1995, and that there had been an increasing trend in new heroin use since 1992. A large proportion of the recent new users were smoking, snorting/sniffing heroin, and most were under age 26. The 1996 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects data on drug-related hospital emergency department episodes from 21 metropolitan areas, estimates that 14 percent of all drug-related ED episodes involved heroin. Physical dependence develops with higher doses of the drug. With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and leg movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. Heroin withdrawal is never fatal to otherwise healthy adults, but the psychological effects can be so bad that the user might kill themself, rather than going through withdrawl. To avoid physical addiction heroin should be used once every four days, maximum. If you take it on friday, wait till tuesday or later before doing it again. If you can limit your use to once every four days, physical addiction and tolerance problems are minimized. You will not require larger doses to produce the same results.
Duration : 0:14:10
Born To Win (1971) / Creative Commons license: Public Domain (www.archive.org). J.J. (George Segal) is a former hairdresser turned heroin addict trying to satisfy his $100 per day habit and deal with the New York City drug culture. In order to get by, he turns narc and starts ratting on his friends. Director: Ivan Passer. Producer: Philip Langner, Jerry Tokofsky. Production Company: Edward Spector Productions Inc.; Contact Information: www.k-otic.com.
Heroin Documentary Video from the public domain. Heroin: The Next Generation. Viewers will learn about the different types of heroin being peddled on the streets of America, how heroin affects the users and hear first person accounts about heroin use from former users. Find out how the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office broke a major heroin trafficking ring that was selling the drug to young people in the affluent suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona. What goes around comes around — and Heroin is back! But the face of yesterday’s junkie is not the face of the junkie of today. More young people than ever before are shooting it, snorting it — even smoking it. And they’re getting more bang for their buck when buying their heroin on the streets today. One reason: The purity of this drug is the highest at the street level than it’s ever been — that means users don’t have to use needles to inject the drug into their veins. The new ability to snort or smoke heroin is enticing more young people than ever before to give it a try. Back in the 60s and 70s, heroin users primarily injected the drug into their bloodstream. The next generation of heroin users do not have to use needles to get high on heroin. Smoking it or snorting it is more appealing to younger and first-time users by eliminating the fear of needles and syringe-associated diseases such as HIV, AIDS and hepatitis — not to mention the stigma ociated with the stereotypical “junkie” who “shoots up” the drug. Another reason heroin use is on the rise, according to James Hall, an epidemiologist for Up Front Drug Information Center in Miami, Florida is because prescription drug abuse is on the rise. “Young people who try prescription narcotic opiate drugs and like the effects of those drugs are turning to heroin because it packs a similar, yet more powerful punch than prescription narcotic opiates,” Hall says. “That’s why prescription drug abuse is becoming a stepping stone to first time heroin users.” Program Objectives: This program discusses, among other things, the following: Learn about the different types of heroin being peddled on the streets of America. Learn how heroine affects the users. Hear first person accounts about heroin use from a former users. Explore heroin trafficking trends and methods of delivery of the drug into the U.S. Find out how the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office broke a major heroin trafficking ring that was selling the drug to young people in the affluent suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona. Panelists: TBA. Sponsors: This program is sponsored the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT) with the technical support of the Satellite Education Network (SEN) at Ft. Lee, VA. Public domain video.