Drug Use by The National Library of Medicine

This film describes the 1960s drug culture. Addicts discuss their experiences in the United States and in Vietnam. Dr. Stanley Yolles, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), talks about the drug culture and the NIMH role in prevention and treatment. The tape describes growth in the use of marijuana and heroin. David Bazelon, chief judge, U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., clarifies the narcotics laws. The state of California's attempts to develop a civil commitment program focused on treatment rather than punishment are described.

Stresses recognition and treatment of drug abuse emergencies, accurate identification of symptoms, and immediate clinical procedures. Presents scenes of actual cases in the emergency room and adjoining physician's offices of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Viewers observe emergency treatment of patients in the major classes of drugs commonly abused, opiates, depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens. The film demonstrates to health professionals that successful management of drug overdoses can save most lives and avert additional organic and psychiatric complications.

This film traces the use of the opium poppy from the Mediterranean in 4000 B.C. through the British and American opium trade with China in the 1800s to the modern era. Charles Siragusa talks about the international heroin trade and estimates that two tons of heroin is smuggled into the port of New York each year. Vernon Holm, a customs agent, describes how private yachts and airplanes are used to smuggle heroin. There are an estimated 60,000 addicts in the United States. Heroin is primarily found in ghettos, with gangs and the Mafia.

This film presents a series of extemporaneous interviews with teenagers and young adults who have taken narcotics for "kicks," "association," or "curiosity." Residents of the California Rehabilitation Center relate how they were introduced to narcotics, why they wished they had not used drugs or narcotics, and what the future holds for them. Film is shot in Hollywood, Calif.

This film explores the dangers of various drugs, and looks at methods of reaching youth in school to educate them about such dangers. Includes the police lecture, the ex-addict, the youth organizer, and the "rap room." Anti-drug program organizers seek students' perspectives and knowledge about drugs. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101646428.

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the types of narcotic deaths and drugs encountered by Dr. Milton Helpern in his post as Chief Medical Examiner for New York City, and to describe internal and external body changes resulting from narcotism. This objective is achieved with the use of photographs of overdose victims and the equipment found and used by addicts. The importance of noting the circumstances under which the body is found and the condition of the body to aid in establishing the diagnosis of death from narcotism is stressed.

Narcotics addiction, as seen by Dr. Daniel H. Casriel, is basically withdrawal behind a chemical as a response to stress, a condition requiring intensive psychotherapy. This method of treatment is used at Daytop Village, New York, where patients live in a therapeutic community for approximately one and a half years. Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe, Director, Drug Abuse Program, State of Illinois, Department of Mental Health, questions the psychiatric approach and discusses methadone treatment of addicts in Chicago.

This program on alcoholism begins by examining motivations for drinking alcohol in moderation in social, family, religious, and business settings, which are then contrasted with excessive drinking and alcoholism. Examples are given of how this affects work performance and exacerbates social problems in general, plus how many Alcoholics deny having a problem. Ways to combat the problem are shown, including treatment, rehabilitation, and therapy, as well as preventive measures such as education. The film opens with people drinking in several different situations.

The life of the typical teen in the late 1960s is presented, with rebellion and experimentation in clothes, hair, and extracurricular activities discussed, along with peer pressure and the effect it can have on teens. The dangers of drugs, and LSD in particular, are described, with doctors, scientists, and geneticists discussing the possible effects of LSD on the body, including chromosomal damage that can affect future generations. The impact on fetal development in animals given LSD is shown.