Kate Hamilton

HLTH 1050

December 3, 2019

Reflection Paper

I really enjoyed this course. There were a lot of different things about drugs

that I did not know and I did not even know existed. One of the most interesting

things I learned about was the drug cartels. I did not know about their history and

how they each came to power in their respective parts of the world. I did not

know that a lot of people are forced to get into the drug trade to survive. This

would be a very hard decision to make. I did not know about all of the secret

tunnels that are dug from Mexico, under the border, and into the United States.

These tunnels are dangerous and provide the opportunity to smuggle drugs

without even interacting with the border fence.

I did not know very much about opium before this class. I did not know

about the different classes of opium and how they interact with the body

differently. I did not know how opium and heroin interacted with the body and

how they are different. I did not know the difference between the illegal opioids

and the legal opioids. I did not know how opium was grown and the origin of

opium. I learned a lot of opium from the book I read for my book critique. I read
“Opium: A History” by Martin Booth. I learned about how opium is grown and the

process of extracting and making it. It is a very intensive process that takes a lot of

time and attention. I also did not know that individuals addicted to opium feel

euphoria when they use it.

I also learned a lot about cocaine and amphetamines. I did not know how

these substances were made and how they effected the body. I learned that

cocaine is made from the coca plant. I also did not know that South America,

specifically Columbia, is the lead grower of cocaine. I did not know the difference

between cocaine powder and crack cocaine. I now know that cocaine is a powder

and crack cocaine is in a crystal form. Lastly, I did not know that there was much

of a legal use of cocaine and amphetamines. I thought that was interesting

because it not readily available at the doctor’s office and I assume it is not a very

common method of anesthetizing.

I found the module on marijuana to be very interesting. I learned a lot from

my peers in the discussions about it and their opinions on marijuana. I learned

that marijuana is a psychoactive drug and can have both positive and negative

effects on the individual using marijuana. I learned that marijuana can help

increase the appetite in individuals with HIV or Aids and cancer. However, it can

be misused and be taken away from the people who have a legitimate need for
medical marijuana. I also learned about the affects marijuana has on the

workplace. Marijuana can cause safety issues when working with heavy

machinery and can affect concentration and accuracy.

One of the modules I found very interesting was the one on tobacco. I did

not know that the Marlboro man was still used in Asia as an advertisement for

tobacco. I also did not know that tobacco was a worldwide industry. Another

interesting thing I learned was that tobacco is a legal drug that has a lot of effect

on millions of people. I did not know that tobacco could cause reproductive harm

and digestive cancers. I thought the readings on e-cigarettes was very interesting.

I did not know that e-cigarettes often had more nicotine than traditional

cigarettes, so it is more toxic to the user.

Lastly, the alcohol module was the most interesting to me. I did not know

all of the effects alcohol has on the body and how many individuals are using

alcohol. I did not know the fermentation process and the difference between

fermentation and brewing. I thought it was very interesting that alcohol can cause

head and neck cancer, in addition to liver and pancreatic cancer. I also thought it

was interesting that beer was first produced in Egypt.

I really enjoyed this class and I am grateful for the opportunity to have this

knowledge. This class will help me understand the effects that these legal and
illegal drugs have on the body and it will help me make better decisions in the

future.