Essay: History Of Narcotics

Narcotics have been used widely in therapeutics in ancient cultures like Egyptian , Chinese and Asian people. Being oblivious of the side effects and addictive characteristics of these narcotics (Opioid/Opium), they widely used it for various problems like for pain killing, to relieve pain during child birth and etc. Opium, which is a derivative of a white liquid produced from one kind of plant which is called poppy plant. In the earlier days it was not possible to make this opium synthetically but now it’s possible though, they used to extract that opium from the plants and apply them in their use, earlier days.
On the other side the Chinese people used to smoke it for intense pleasure and recreational for inducing euphoric dream states.
Narcotics have calming effects like –
1.Sleepiness
2.Euphoria
3.Dramatically calmed Neuro-activity.
Narcotics as like as morphine, heroin, codeine, opium, hydrocodone, oxycodone, meperidine, and methadone ,Oncet, Procet , Vicodin , Xodol , Zydone etc.
Some kind of protein (chemicals) in it, which bind to the specific pain killing receptors, which are in charge to regulate the pain sense, thus reducing the pain and helping to release dopamine and endorphin like neurotransmitters that are the primary for brain reward pathway, it gives pleasure to the addict and consumer.
Narcotics Availability And Policy :
Narcotics are available world-wide, and by law narcotics can be used in medical cases. But not all the narcotics are allowed and registered by FDA(Food and Drug Administration) and they are not approved by FDA to be used under medical issues consideration.
Due to side effects and excessive potentiality of addiction other narcotics are not approved and not legal to be prescribed for any kind of medical conditions.
By the compromise of side effects over curing effect the other illegal narcotics are avoided.
Administering/Dispensing Of Narcotic Drugs :
Enforced laws by FDA on narcotics are given below –
(a) A practitioner may administer/dispense directly (but not prescribe) a narcotic drug listed in any schedule to a narcotic dependent person for the purpose of maintenance/detoxification treatment if the practitioner meets both of the following conditions:
(1) The practitioner/physician is separately registered with DEA as a narcotic treatment program.
(2) The practitioner/physician is in compliance with DEA regulations regarding treatment qualifications,
security, records, and unsupervised or, without supervision use of the drugs pursuant to the Act.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a physician/practitioner who is not specifically registered to conduct a narcotic treatment program from administering (but not prescribing) narcotic drugs to a person for the purpose of relieving acute withdrawal symptoms when it necessary while arrangements are being made for referral for treatment.
Not more than one day’s medication may be administered to the person or for the person’s use at one(01)time. Such emergency treatment may be carried out for not more than three(03)days and may not be renewed or extended.
(c) This section is not intended/deliberate to impose any limitations on a physician or authorized hospital staff to administer or dispense narcotic drugs in a hospital to maintain/detoxify a person as an incidental adjunct to medical or surgical treatment of conditions other than addiction, or to administer/dispense narcotic drugs to persons with intractable pain in which no relief or cure is possible or none has been found after reasonable/logical efforts.
(d) A practitioner may administer or dispense (including prescribe) any Schedule III, IV, or V narcotic drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically or particularly for use in maintenance or detoxification treatment to a narcotic dependent person if the practitioner complies with the requirements of 1301.28 of this chapter.