Cocaine at that time affected 300 000 to 400 000 newborns in the united states alone in the 1990s (Schoenwolf et al, 2009). The problem still persists however. In some major cities in the united states, as many as 20% of babies are born to mothers who abuse cocaine (Preece and Edward, 2011). There are many ways in which abuse of cocaine can negatively impact an embryo and fetus during its development. One difficulty with researching this specific population is the ability to isolate cocaine as the sole teratogen.
Prescription drugs can get you just as high or even worst then weed. Statistics show that people become more addicted to the drugs they get from there own medicine cabinet then the drugs they buy off the corner drug man. I get how the government wants to try and put an end to crack heads and addicts but that will never happen in the world today cause there are so many ways to get high . The top 5 heavenly drugs are : 1. NICOTINE - millions and millions of people smoke cigarettes everyday that contain nicotine .Did you know smoking tobacco causes chemical and structural changes in the brain and is nicotine illegal... NO !
However, Purdue Pharma still denies OxyContin to be addictive. Its introduction has been a great economic success for Purdue Pharma and now accounts for eighty percent of the company’s total business (Goode and Inciardi 2). Because it has become popular with drug abusers, OxyContin has received a lot of unwanted attention by the media. As of March 1, 2007, prescription drug abuse will exceed other forms of illegal narcotics used worldwide (Kole 1). The pharmaceutical drug OxyContin is developed to be a very potent pain reliever used by patients with chronic illnesses, although, many users have developed extreme problems caused by the drug’s highly addictive nature.
Marijuana; Not Just a Counter Culture For many people the choice to use drugs is an easy one; no, but for other people when it is a life or death situation, or their depression is great enough, they will do and try anything to help gain relief from pain. With the legalization of Marijuana, medical patients would have the ability to seek other ways of treatment via medicine. Also with the legalization of Marijuana the gateway theory would be proven false. Along with these two solid reasons why Marijuana should be legalized, the federal government would also reap astonishing amounts of revenue that could be used to pay off debts and pay into social security. Marijuana has been used for thousands of years, not always for the “high effect,” but
After a while, users need higher doses to get the same effect. This leads to dependence and addiction for those users of the drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 43 percent of ecstasy users become dependent on the drug. Users are aware of the negative consequences of ecstasy, but their dependence on it prevents them from stopping to use the drug. However, Ecstasy is used medicinally to relieve victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The government’s most recent drug survey, the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “over 800,000 adolescents ages 12-17 sold illegal drugs during the previous 12 months preceding.” (NSDUH). Marijuana has damaged and brought chaos to lives of many young Americans. Medically, it is not addictive, but some people say that they begin to form a habit, and it becomes a psychological, rather than physical, addiction. Although marijuana is less harmful than other substances that are legal, chances are that if more people smoked marijuana because it became legal, there would be an increase in health problems. A study was done by the DEA in 2004 in which 19.1 million Americans aged 12 or older used illicit drugs in the 30 days prior to the study.
Background Approximately 15,000 people die each year by overdosing on opioids, a rate that has more than tripled since 1990 (Wermeling, 2012). The annual incidence of opioid over dose associated mortality on a nationwide scale has been difficult to assess due to incomplete reporting systems (Leavitt, S.2010) as well as more than half of over doses go unreported for fears of repercussions (kuehn,2014). In Massachusetts these over doses have killed more than car crashes each year since 2005 (Wermeling, 2012). The government had tried numerous strategies to reduce the death toll, including imposing stricter regulations on prescribing medications, prosecuting owners of “pill mills” who dispense the drugs without proper medical evaluation, and tracking data bases to monitor and discourage “doctor shopping” among addicts (Szalvitz,2013). Addiction often begins with a legitimate opioid
“Acetaminophen… is contained in almost 100 different products and combination products,” writes Carol and Richard Eustice. Because there are so many drugs containing Acetaminophen, people don’t always realize when they are ingesting it. Also, most patients aren’t aware that Acetaminophen is contained in over the counter and prescription drugs. Accidentally ingesting more than the recommended dosage can lead to overdoses and serious health problems. Another risk many people aren’t aware of is the risk of ingesting alcohol regularly (three or more times a day) and Acetaminophen together.
All three processes transfer the drug to the brain very quickly, which contributes to the health risks and its high risk for addiction. Also, people who inject the drug are at high risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis C because of contact with blood or other bodily fluids, which can happen when sharing needles or other injection drug use equipment. Global users of heroin are estimated at between 15 and 21 million people aged 15 to 64. Also, it is estimated that around 23 percent of people who use heroin become dependent on it. It is also said that a
While this may be true, it is crucial to acknowledge that one of the reasons behind the high rates of drug abuse is the ease of availability (Simon 2005). In fact, many people get addicted to prescription drugs thanks to their availability. The writer also argues that the prohibition in the use of these drugs is wrong since the drugs are immensely useful. Falling under the category of nootropics (a Greek word that means “act upon the mind”) smart drugs are said to improve memory consolidation, learning as well as memory retrieval devoid of other effects on central nervous system, not to mention the low toxicity even when high doses are taken. While these effects are evidently desirable, it is crucial that the writer examines the flip side of the so-called smart drugs.