Word: alcoholism
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Attempts to answer such questions scatter all over the lot. A common proposal is to handle the sale of narcotics in a manner similar to the sale of alcohol. The substances could be sold only by licensed dealers, who would be taxed and heavily regulated; for example, they would be forbidden to sell to anyone under 21 years old. But there are many variations. Some supporters would permit the legal sale of marijuana only; Washington Mayor Marion Barry might add cocaine but is dead set against legalizing PCP (angel dust). Economist Friedman would permit the sale of every imaginable brand...
DESCRIPTION: Dollar cost of crime, treatment and lost productivity related to drugs and alcohol...
Revenues. Treatment programs could be financed by taxes on drugs, like taxes on alcohol and tobacco...
...enemy," he countered. "My enemy kills 350,000 people a year." In the U.S. in 1986, smoking-related lung ailments accounted for 108,000 deaths; heart disease, 200,000 more. By comparison, Koop continued, cocaine and opiates such as heroin dispatch about 6,000 people a year and alcohol about 125,000. Said he: "I think we're way ahead on deaths." As for nicotine's addictive qualities, the Surgeon General cited several national surveys that reveal 75% to 85% of the nation's 51 million smokers would like to quit but have so far been unable...
Like many drugs that affect the nervous system, nicotine at once stimulates and relaxes the body. Because it is inhaled, it takes only seven to ten seconds to reach the brain -- twice as fast as intravenous drugs and three times faster than alcohol. Once there, it mimics some of the actions of adrenaline, a hormone, and acetylcholine, a powerful neurotransmitter that touches off the brain's alarm system, among other things. After a few puffs, the level of nicotine in the blood skyrockets, the heart beats faster and blood pressure increases. Result: smokers become more alert and may actually even...