This year Addaction celebrates its 50th anniversary and to commemorate the event, they are holding a series of lectures, of which this, given by Professor David Nutt on why we should decriminalise personal possession of all drugs, is the first.…
Tag Archive for history
Morphine
Morphine is an opiate found naturally in opium (derived from the opium poppy). It is a depressant or sedative drug that slows down body functions such as heart and breathing rate. Morphine is a strong and effective analgesic used in treating moderate to severe…
Opium
Opium is the name given to the milky latex that comes from the unripened pod of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). When harvesting opium, the poppy pods are scored with a sharp blade and the latex that oozes out is…
Druglink article 2009 – New model army by Ian Wardle
The very concepts that glue together our drug treatment system are under attack for being too entrenched in medicine. Ian Wardle looks at the emerging challenges to a status quo that has dominated policy and practice for more than two…
Druglink article 2009 – Chemical reaction by Gibby Zobel
Twenty years ago this month, Britain woke up to news of the first death caused by the rave drug ecstasy in Manchester’s Hacienda club. Gibby Zobel, then an 18 year old local newspaper reporter who broke the story, looks at…
Druglink article 2002 – Heroin prescribing – why bother? by Clare Gerada
Heroin prescriptions may benefit some users. But is it worth the risks? asks Clare Gerada Heroin prescribing – why bother? (PDF)
Druglink article 2002 – The road from H: how the legal supply of heroin to users virtually dried up by Bing Spear and Joy Mott
Until 16 April 1968 any doctor could prescribe heroin and cocaine to any of their patients. The following extract describes the prescribing of heroin by one doctor, Lady Frankau and its effect on the extent of addiction in the 1960s.…
Druglink article 2001 – A taste of infinity: evolution and chemistry by Harry Shapiro
It seems appropriate in 2001 we should look back to the earliest days of human life to speculate on our introduction to drugs, in this, the first of an occasional series on drug history. A taste of infinity (PDF)
Druglink article 2008 – Carry on doctor by Tom Carnwath and Harry Shapiro
Before the existence of any kind of formal drug treatment system, there were GPs prepared to prescribe morphine, heroin and cocaine for users. That all changed 40 years ago in 1968. But, say Tom Carnwath and Harry Shapiro, not all…
Druglink article 2008 – Half-way house by Steve Abrams
Reformers claim UK cannabis laws, 80 years old this year, are among the toughest in Europe. Government critics say we’ve gone soft on dope. But, as Steve Abrams explains, the legal response to cannabis use in the UK has always…