Until recently most doctors were moving quietly away from the long-term ‘maintenance’ prescribing of the ’60s, but disputes within the medical profession and the need to counter the spread of AIDS have brought the prescribing issue back on the policy…
Tag Archive for heroin
Druglink article 1987 – Responses to heroin misuse, working togther, by Geoffrey Pearson, Mark Gilman and Shirley McIver
In the spring and summer of 1985 a research team travelled the breadth of northern England and made detailed neighbourhood studies, building a picture of heroin misuse and responses to it in the North. Their report – on which this…
Druglink article 1987 – High time for harm reduction by Russell Newcombe
For many youngsters, the ‘just say no’ campaign has come too late or failed: in some urban areas, heroin and other illicit drugs have become a ‘normal’ part of teenage experience. In areas like these, Russell Newcombe argues, it’s ‘high…
Druglink article 1986 – Media campaigns by Nicholas Dorn
From the start the government’s heroin campaign was controversial, opposed by ‘experts’ but favoured by politicians. Nick Dorn describes the background to the campaign and the evaluations of its impact, reminding those of us south of the border that a…
Druglink article 1986 – Benefits of the ‘pool hall’ by Robert Power
During its short tenure as a centre for drug dealing, the existence of the ‘pool hall’ in central London had some beneficial side-effects for police, dealers, users and welfare workers alike Benefits of the ‘pool hall’ (PDF)
Druglink article 1986 – Heroin in Britain
In this Druglink briefing from 1986, ISDD pulled together what was known about heroin use in the UK at the time, including prevalence, effects and consequences. Heroin in Britain (PDF)
Naloxone
What is Naloxone? Naloxone is a medicine which can temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose caused by opiates and opioids and opioids such as heroin, methadone, morphine, codeine or buprenorphine. The most life-threatening effect of opiates is to slow…
Heroin and other opiates
Boy, brown, china white, dragon, gear, H, horse, junk, skag, smack, diamorphine, morphine, methadone, opium, codeine, pethidine, dihydrocodeine (DF118), palfium, diconal, temgesic, physeptone What is heroin? Heroin (diamorphine) is one of a group of drugs called ‘opiates’. These drugs are…
Gabapentin
What is gabapentin? Gabapentin is a prescription medicine used to treat a variety of conditions including epilepsy, neuropathic pain (pain related to problems with nerve signals) and anxiety disorders. Some people use gabapentin recreationally and consequently there is an illicit trade…
Chasing the dragon
What is chasing the dragon? Chasing the dragon is a way of smoking heroin. It usually involves placing powdered heroin on foil and heating it from below with a lighter. Foil used to heat heroin in order to “Chase the…