Epidemic by Prescription

Tell-tale is explosive tread of drugstores occupying every intersection in place of 7-11’s .

Oxycontin, ecstasy, LSD, Ritalin, Adderall and fentanyl amongst other are freely prescribed and readily available opioids.The high risks associated with this drugs is addiction.

Opium and opium-based drugs breed some of the worst forms of addiction compared to other types of drugs. Addiction in any form happens over time as the brain incorporates a drug’s effects within its chemical workings. Once the brain becomes dependent on opium, it’s working at a diminished capacity due to the damaging effects of the drug.

Opium addiction treatment works to undo the harmful effects of addiction, both physical and psychological. While addiction, in and of itself, cannot be cured, it can be managed. Opium addiction treatment provides you with the tools and physical supports needed to keep addiction from controlling oneslife life.

A Brain Disease

While the initial decision to try opium drugs may be voluntary, the effects of the drug take away a person’s power to choose with continued drug use. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, opium changes the brain’s chemical pathways and overall structure over time. This inevitably affects a person’s psychological makeup in terms of his her outlook and daily lifestyle.

Codeine

Codeine is an alkaloid that is extracted from the opium produced from the poppy plant. Codeine is a painkiller that has sedative properties, and is used in prescription drugs, such as Vicodin, and cough syrups.

Morphine

Morphine, like codeine, is an alkaloid that is extracted from opium, and is highly used in the medical field to help people manage their pain. Morphine is commonly administered in hospitals through an IV, to subside a person’s pain. However, morphine is also used to make heroin, which is an illegal narcotic drug.

Oxycodone

According to the Center for Substance Abuse Research, the structure of oxycodone is similar to codeine, and is almost as potent as morphine. Oxycodone works on a person’s body through the central nervous system by altering the user’s sense of pain and their emotional response to pain. Oxycodone is the most powerful prescription painkiller, and it is not time released, so when a person takes the drug, its onset is quick-acting and very powerful.

OxyContin

According to National Center for OxyContin is one of the most commonly known prescription painkillers that people abuse and develop addictions to. OxyContin is the same as Oxycodone, except OxyContin is time released, which means it slowly is released into a person’s system when they take the pill. This prolongs the effects of the drug.

Marijuana

According to National Cancer Institution, Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis [1].Two reviews summarize the molecular mechanisms of action of cannabinoids as antitumor agents. Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their nontransformed counterparts and may even protect them from cell death[2].

In 1986, an isomer of synthetic delta-9-THC in sesame oil was licensed and approved for the treatment of chemotherapy -associated nausea and vomiting under the generic name dronabinol. Clinical trials determined that dronabinol was as effective as or better than other antiemetic agents available at the time. Dronabinol was also studied for its ability to stimulate weight gain in patients with AIDS in the late 1980s. Thus, the indications were expanded to include treatment of anorexia associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection in 1992.

In a five-patient case series of inhaled Cannabis that examined analgesic effects in chronic pain, it was reported that patients who self-administered Cannabis had improved mood, improved sense of well-being, and less anxiety/ Sources( Beal JE, Olson R, Laubenstein L, et al.: Dronabinol as a treatment for anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with AIDS. J Pain Symptom Manage 10 (2): 89-97, 1995. [PUBMED Abstract]

[1] The spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body. In metastasis, cancer cells break away from the original (primary) tumor, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form a new tumor in other organs or tissues of the body. The new, metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are breast cancer cells, not lung cancer cells. The plural form of metastasis is metastases (meh-TAS-tuh-SEEZ).

[2] Jatoi A, Windschitl HE, Loprinzi CL, et al.: Dronabinol versus megestrol acetate versus combination therapy for cancer-associated anorexia: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group study. J Clin Oncol 20 (2): 567-73, 2002

People Arrested for Cannabis Law Offenses this Year

Police arrested an estimated 858,408 persons for cannabis violations in 2009. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent were charged with possession only.

An American is arrested for violating cannabis laws every 30 seconds.

Source-Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Macklemore Struggles Against Opioid Addiction

In His New Music Video ‘Drug Dealer’

In May, he teamed up with President Obama to talk about the matter, saying “If I hadn’t gotten the help I needed when I needed it, I might not be here today. And I want to help others facing the same challenges I did.”

For Macklemore, this is more than just a music video. He wants to tackle the pharmaceutical industry head on, having struggled with addiction in real life.
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