Canadian Addiction Rehab Getting Rid Of Morphine Addiction | Page 4

Morphine: History of Abuse
 After the outbreak of American Civil War in 1861 the drug was taken as the
blessing from the god, treating the war-wounded soldiers. Hence, due to its
pain healing characteristics the medical society named it God s Own
Medicine (GOM). But eventually, the extensive use of morphine proved the
addictive nature of the drug. In fact, the drug was alleged to make 400,000
soldiers morphine addicts and the disease was known as the soldier s
disease. The war veterans became junkies of the society and the blessings
became drug epidemic. As there were no drugs laws, the morphine was
easily accessible to anyone.
 Later in 1874, the deadly medicine was synthesized, for the medical
purposes, to heroin medically called Diacetylmorphine. Heroin is 1.5 to 2
more effective than morphine. Whereas, in 1914, Harrison Narcotics Tax Act
imposed a restriction on morphine possession making it controlled
substance in the US and without prescription possession illegal. Morphine
was the most famous among drug addicts until heroin was synthesized.
Now today Canada is the world s second-largest consumer of the
prescription opioids after America hence indicating an immediate counter
response on both individual and state level.