In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many medicines contained current illicit drugs such as heroine, cannabis and cocaine.

The history of drugs was really just trying to combat one addiction after another.

“People first saw the effects of opiates which come from opium in poppy plants,” said Steve Lux, health educator for health enhancement services. “They would make a black gummy substance called resin and smoke it.”

Lux said a new drug was then created to combat opium addiction.

“Then before you knew it, they were addicted, so then they tried to find a cure for the addiction, and then they discovered morphine,” Lux said. “Morphine cured the opium addiction but then people became addicted to that, so then heroin was discovered to combat the morphine addiction. Then people became addicted to heroin so methadone, which is like a synthetic heroin, was created to treat heroin addiction. They basically were just switching one addiction for another.”

What was it then that changed people’s opinions on drugs?

“What was happening was the people who were getting into trouble were on the drugs so the law enforcement and health people got together and at first attempted to scare people to get them to stop using,” Lux said.

With debates about legalizing medicinal marijuana, the debates about why certain drugs such as Vicodin, hydrocodone and OxyContin are legal are being brought into question.

“These are more immediately addicting drugs,” said Sharon Sytsma, associate professor of philosophy. “Heroin isn’t used for pain, it is a mind-altering drug, whereas with hydrocodone and Vicodin, those are used for pain. Everyone thinks that relieving pain is morally permissible.”

Some countries have illicit drugs legalized for medicinal purposes.

“In England they have heroin to give addicts to ween them off of their addiction with it,” Lux said. “The benefit to this is that the heroin is quality-controlled, and the heroin will not contain impurities, as well the addicts will not be sharing needles so there will be no transmission of HIV.”

With our country delving into trillions of dollars in debt, some say legalizing cannabis would help save the states a lot of money, because a lot of people are being incarcerated due to possession of the substance. In rebuttal, others claim if no one were to do it in the first place, we would not have this problem.

“Our first message has always been about don’t use drugs, but you have to have a message for those who don’t listen to your first message,” Lux said. “Every person deserves a health message whether it is a person or an addict. We need to also focus on reducing harm and less on about how we can punish people.”

In the midst of all this controversy, people will still be getting prescribed Vicodin and hydrocodone, which are dangerous and addicting also.

“I have such a negative view toward heroin and all that,” said freshman English major Alana Stickels. “Yet I also don’t think they should give out Vicodin, hydrocodone and OxyContin so frequently.”

Stickels said she thinks these drugs are too strong and doctors shouldn’t be so liberal with their prescriptions.

“That strength of drugs I don’t think is necessary,” Stickels said. “To prescribe such a strong drug for something as little as wisdom teeth to me is ridiculous. We need to put higher restrictions on these medicines if things like heroin and cocaine are going to be illegal.”