Heroin

About this book

This volume provides an examination of the drug heroin from the discovery of opium by the Sumerians nearly 7,000 years ago to the use, abuse, treatment, and meaning of heroin in our day. A reference on the drug's history, pharmacology, psychology, and sociology, this work also offers an account of heroin's power and persistent allure, its medicinal benefits and destructive nature. It contains personal stories and vignettes, and puts a human face on the long and complex story behind this notorious drug. First published in 1998, this book provided a definitive account of the drug's many myths and truths. This second edition has been revised to reflect changes in heroin use and new research findings about the drug's neurological effects.