An up-to-the-minute, comprehensive examination of heroin's history, pharmacology, psychology, and sociology, Heroin offers a spellbinding account of the drug's power and persistent allure, its medicinal benefits, and its destructive nature.
This updated and expanded second edition provides new research into heroin's effects on the brain, the changing attitudes and policies about methadone and medications, and the different approaches to treating heroin addicts. Included are studies of violence along the U.S.-Mexican border—which has put heroin trafficking in the spotlight—as well as a focus on how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made opium a valuable commodity and a major source of funds for terrorists. Animated with vivid personal stories and vignettes, Heroin puts a human face on the long and complex story behind this notorious drug.