Discuss the category of drugs known as narcotics, including their history, their effects and uses,

and why these drugs are so addictive; identify four examples of narcotic drugs; describe and provide an example of a harm reduction strategy; and explain why the harm reduction strategy is so controversial.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer will include that opium poppies have been cultivated throughout recorded history Raw opium, secreted by poppy seedpods, has been used for centuries to produce pain relief. Two narcotics refined from opium, morphine and codeine, are still widely used for that purpose. That narcotics are highly addictive has also long been recognized. Heroin, ("big H", "dope", "horse") derived by further refining morphine, is widely thought to be the most addictive drug of all. Narcotics can produce a powerful feeling of euphoria ("rush") accompanied by a reduction of anxiety, relaxation, and, of course, pain relief. At higher doses, breathing can be impaired, leading to death. A new wave of narcotics addiction, notable for the number of younger abusers involved, has followed the more recent introduction of oxycodone (Oxycontin), another opium derivative. Another narcotic, methadone, also bears mentioning. Narcotics addicts are often treated with methadone, which reduces the narcotics "rush," making it much easier to go through withdrawal. Methadone is often freely given to addicts as part of a harm reduction strategy meant to reduce the negative consequences of addiction without requiring drug abstinence. Harm reduction programs are controversial because it can seem as if they merely support substance abusers in their addiction, such as supplying clean needles for drug injections as another example. However, in reality, these harm reduction strategies are often the only hope for addicts who would otherwise cause more harm to themselves and to others.