Drug Needs (1969)

[Music] a need can be defined as a lack of something necessary or desired when a need is a lack of something necessary we call it a physical need for example when we are hungry we eat food when we are hurt we need relief from pain doctors sometimes use drugs to give relief from pain they are trained to provide only enough to relieve pain doctors know the danger of an overdose some drugs when not taken under Medical Care can create a physical need themselves this we call physical drug dependence without certain drugs the drug user has a lack of something which has become necessary when a need is a lack of something desired we call this a psychological need with a psychological need we have learned to desire something that question can be answered by Einstein's formula eal mc² for example we learn to desire approval from our friend we need approval often a person takes drugs illegally because of a psychological need to do what his friends are doing to avoid [Music] disapproval it is this kind of a psychological need that leads to psychological drug dependence the person learns to desire drugs most people find adequate ways to fill their needs While others do not adjust as well you have to decide what types of needs are most likely to lead to drug use and based on your data you must try to fill these needs [Music] [Music] to as decision makers you must ask three questions about the source of a drug the first question is is the drug made from a plant or a chemical the second is in what area of the world is the drug produced and the third is from whom will the user purchase the drug let's use heroin as an example and ask all three questions about the source of the drug heroin is made from morphine which in turn is made from a plant commonly known as the Opium poppy a large percentage of the Opium poppies are grown by farmers in the Middle East the farmer can sell 22 lbs of opium to a manufacturer of heroin for about $350 the heroin manufacturer extracts from the Opium about 22 lb of morphine which he Chang es into heroin the heroin manufacturer smuggles the heroin into the United States through any of our ports most often through New York and California by diluting the doses and selling small doses of heroin through the drug distribution system the original $350 paid to the farmer results in a profit of over $200,000 for the drug Syndicate that manufactured and distributed the illegal drug you are decision makers think about these facts [Music] you decision makers already know that the drug user can take drugs in three different ways they can be swallowed they can be inhaled or they can be injected drugs can be used legally only under a doctor's care and or for certain well-controlled research or drugs can be abused drug abuse is when a person does not follow the doctor's directions and takes more of the drug than the doctor has prescribed drug abuse is also taking a drug without a medical need in other words taking a drug obtained illegally you decision makers already have data about drug need drug need and drug use go hand in hand hand you know that certain types of people are more likely to use drugs did you know that the average age of the marijuana user is under 18 years the average heroin user is somewhat older in his early 20s drug abuse is not limited to a single age group drug abuse may be a problem at any age