Narcotics

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Narcotics         Narcotics are drugs that excite the nervous system. Most narcotics are made from the opium poppy, (Papaver Somniferum) which is found mainly in Asia. Narcotics were the first drugs used as medicines. They can relieve physical and emotional pain, and for this reason, they made very good medicines. The problem with narcotics is that they are highly addictive, and they make people develop tolerance.

        There are many different narcotics, the most common being heroin. Heroin effects the body in many different ways. It is usually a white powder that looks similar to powdered sugar. It can be inhaled, or dissolved and then injected into a muscle or a vein. After you take it, your pupils become small, you breathe slowly, and most users become constipated, nauseous, short of breath, dizzy, and sleepy. Addicts say that immediately after taking heroin, there is a "rush," followed by a few hours of calm, where people go to sleep, or stay in a half awake state.

(During this stage, nothing seems to bother the person.

        Heroin is the most addictive narcotic. Of all narcotic addicts, 90-95% use heroin. In the United Stated alone, there are between 500,000- 750,000 heroin addicts. Heroin is often mixed with cheaper substances, so that the dealer can make a larger profit. Since addicts don't know about the purity of a substance, many die because of overdoses. In an overdose of heroin, the lungs stop functioning, and the person dies from lack of air.

        There can be other effects of heroin addiction, one is that people who have illnesses may have them go untreated because the heroin has masked the pain. Another is that peoples veins collapse, from having been injected into to often. Their skin may also be covered with sores from needles. Dirty needles can often cause serious infections.