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$89.00
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Description
I will be offering this shirt/design for 30 days. From November 10th until December 10th, 2008
After which time it will be discontinued.
Heroin: The Sedative for coughs.
*Warning: May be habit forming.
Commercially introduced to the world by The Bayer Company in 1898, Heroin’s debut quickly saw rise to a new “star” in the drug world – one whose fame, or infamy is beyond dispute.
Etymology: Heroin, a derivitive of Heroisch - The German word for Heroic - this was how test subjects initially reported they felt after consuming the drug.
History: Heroin’s highly distinguished profile may make this hard to fathom, but Heroin was once available over-the-counter. From it's introduction in 1898 until the passing of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 Heroin as well as cocaine and opium were unregulated.
Heroin was used in common cough syrup. As with most opioids and opiates, Heroin is an effective respiratory depressant. It was used in the treatment of the common cold, and respiratory diseases such as; Pneumonia, Influenza, Whooping Cough, Tuberculosis, etc… Of key importance; Antibiotics - such as Penicillin, were not available until the 1940’s – One of the aforementioned diseases could result in long-term debilitation or Death. To suppress the body’s coughing certainly helped a patient get the rest needed for their body to do it’s own healing. It should be noted however that opiates impair the body’s immune system.
One of the more interesting Heroin facts is that it was initially believed and advertised to be less addicting than Morphine. Therefore, Heroin was used as a treatment for Morphine addiction, which was known to some as “Soldiers’s Disease” by the association of Morphine addicts from the Civil War. This type of replacement therapy is akin to the current practice of prescribing Methadone as an effective narcotic replacement in Heroin addicts today.
Fun fact: Morphine (named after Morpheus - The Greek God of Dreams) aside from use as a pain killer, was thought to be an effective replacement for Opium addiction.
In closing: Heroin has gone from legitimate manufacturing in industrial facilities to clandestine production in jungle laboratories. It has traveled from over-the-counter to the back alley. The drug trade is alive and well. What I find interesting is that the drug lords have a vested interest in keeping this stuff illegal. After all Legalization would render Drug dealers, their operations and their operatives unemployed and obsolete.
More Information
Each shirt is made by me one at a time to order. If you have any color preferences for the print please let me know.
Christopher Tod actively supports and donates 1% of all sales to
War Child International is a network of independent organizations, working across the world to help children affected by war.