Drugs

A drug is defined broadly by the World Health Organization, as “Any substance that, when taken into the living organism, may modify one or more of its functions” (WHO 1980: 1–2). The history of drug use dates back to the discovery of psychoactive properties of the poppy plant (Stimmel 1993), whose seeds and pods have been found in the remains of Stone Age settlements. The poppy plant was cultivated between 4000 and 3000 BCE by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) to provide opium, known as gil, which meant “happiness and joy.” Similarly, cannabis sativa (marijuana) has been known almost since the beginning of recorded history. Practically every human malady has been treated with this plant. For centuries, Andean peasants chewed coca leaves for mild stimulus; Africans used snuff, khat, and kola nuts for cultural rituals; and indigenous peoples throughout the Americas used plants with psychoactive properties in religious rituals. Caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, and alcohol have been used for centuries, playing integral roles in different cultures. In the colonial United States, coca and opium were common ingredients in popular patent medicines. Today, however, abuse of these long-popular drugs has caused concern not only in the United States but also worldwide. In the twentieth century, scientific advances changed the properties and potencies of long-used drugs such as opium and coca, transforming them into heroin and crack cocaine, and also made possible a variety of new synthetic drugs. Because the new forms of these drugs are more potent, they are more addictive and pose a greater health threat.

A distinction should be made between drugs classified as licit (legal) and illicit (illegal). Licit drugs include stimulants (e.g., amphetamines), sedatives (e.g., barbiturates such as Mandrax), paregoric elixir (a common sedative), alcohol (e.g., beer and wine), tobacco, prescription drugs, and over-the-counter medications. Illicit drugs include cocaine, crack, heroin, LSD, marijuana, and PCP.

The concern over illegal drugs focuses on psychoactive drugs. Psychoactive drugs principally affect the central nervous system—the brain and the spinal cord. Most psychoactive drugs have mood- and mindaltering effects, and nonmedicinal use of these drugs can cause social or physical harm to the user. “Nonmedicinal use” means that a drug is taken for recreational use. “Medicinal use” means that a drug is taken to prevent or cure a disease or disabling condition. There is relative condemnation of mood-altering drugs because of their adverse effects. Penalties for their production, consumption, and distribution are severe. But in spite of the severe penalties, some people use these drugs for various reasons, ranging from reducing pain to producing pleasurable effects. These effects may be mood change, excitement, relaxation, pleasure, analgesia, stimulation, or seduction. Some drugs are taken in the belief that they enhance physical and mental performance. On the other hand, there is a growing feeling in some areas of the world where drugs have become a serious problem that their use reflects despair among users, a symptom of malaise in a society where children no longer respect parents or elders and feel that they have a doubtful future. Drug use provides solace for those hoping to escape life's challenges, but eventually many realize the inverse relationship between taking drugs and escaping life's challenges. This entry discusses illegal drugs, their producing countries, the politics of illegal drugs, problems associated with drug use, and control efforts. Table 1 shows major producers of the highly regulated illegal drugs.

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