CRJ 362 - quiz 2

what is opium?

Psychoactive sap harvested from the seed pods of the opium poppy. Native to the central mediterranean area 

how did opium become a global drug of abuse?

British imperial economics 

Trade imbalance with China

treat of Nanking (1842)

signed abroad British warship – imposed humiliating terms on the Qing Dynasty marked as beginning of “Century Humiliation” 

• Pay 6 mill to compensate Opium 

• 12 million in damages 

• Hong Kong ceded until 1997 

• Trade resumed and expanded deepened the Chinese addiction 

convention of Peking (1860)

ended conflict

Opened the Chinese ports to foreign trade, legalized opium trade entirely

Gold Rush of 1849

Chinese entered for the Gold Rush and cheap labor from the Transcontinental Railroad (1869)

Opium Use In America

Traveling salesman, newspaper advertisements, and mail-order catalogs promoted opium-laced tonics as miracle cures 

Hypodermic Syringe

1856

• Cheaper than alcohol and available 

• Highly addictive with severe withdrawal symptoms 

• Used extensively in the Civil War to treat battlefield casualties – resulting in estimated 400,000 soldiers left the war as morphine addicts 

Harrison Narcotics Tax Act (1914)

effectively criminalized non-medical use of heroin – the beginning of the federal government's role in drug prohibition 

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906)

Directly contributed to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 – first federal law requiring accurate labeling of food and drug 

Pure Food and Drug Act 1906

required manufacturers to accurately label goods

Narcotic Drugs Imort and Export Act 1922

only allowed trade and importation for medical use

Cocaine

European chemists isolated cocaine's active alkaloid in the 1850’s creating a more potent and addictive substance 

Sigmund Freud’s Endorsement

1884, Freud recommended cocaine for depression, morphine addictions, and as a general tonic 

Jazz Musicians

cocaine was closely associated with this group

the Anti-Drug Abuse Acy of 1865

5 yr mandatory minimum sentence for possession of just 5 grams of crack vs 500 grams of powder cocaine. 

the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010

reduced the crack-to-powder disparity to 18:1

The First Step Act of 2018

made this change retroactive 

medical use for cocaine

ENT surgery, Novocain in Dentistry, Schedule II status

Federal Marijuana Tax Act - 1937

placing a prohibitive tax on all cannabis transactions 

Controlled Substances Act of 1970

Leary v. US (1969), Restricted the condition under how it could be prescribed 

Life Magazine 1969

featured photographs of white, middle-class Americans enjoying marijuana – normalizing its image 

Shafer Commission (1972)

Nixon made this to study the problem of Marijuana in the US recommending decriminalization

State Law 2024

• 24 states and D.C. have legalized marijuana 

• 38 states allow medical marijuana 

• Created ongoing legal uncertainty 

Medical Marijuana

Chemotherapy, Glaucoma, Epilepsy (CBD)

Amphetamines

An artificial product substance (synthetic) exerts a powerful simulant effect on the CNS

Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act 2005

Restrict certain cold medicines limiting purchases and obtaining identification of purchasers 

Project MKUltra

CIA secretly established LSD to soldiers and civils without their consent attempting to develop a “truth serum” and manipulation tool  

FDA Control (1962)

Food and Drug Administration took control over all new investigational drugs – requiring clinical trials. Shut down the Harvard program 

American Indian Religious Freedom Act (1994)

only member of the Native American church is allowed to use it in religious ceremonies 

Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act 1970

centerpiece, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) - remains the cornerstone of federal drug policy today 

Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD)

later reorganized into the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973

two prong strategy

(1) reducing supply by investigating and prosecuting traffickers; (2) reducing demand through prevention and treatment 

Schedule I

is the highest (LSD, Heroin)

Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 & Zero Tolerance

idea that no amount of illegal drug use is acceptable and that even first-time possession carry significant penalties 

Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2016

most sweeping legislation since the 1970s – authorized 181 mill. for prevention, treatment, and recovery support. Focus on opioid crisis 

Strengthening Opioid Misuse Prevention Act (SUPPORT Act) 2018

8.5 bill. Over 5 years for opioid treatment and prevention, expanding Medicaid coverage for substance use disorder treatment 

Fair Sentencing Act 2010

Reduced the crack-to-powder sentencing disparity from 100:1 to 18:1. Eliminated the 5-yr mandatory min for simple crack cocaine possession. 

MORE Act (2020 & 2022)

• First act to decriminalize marijuana federally 

• Passed house but has stalled in Senate