The History of Heroin: From Miracle Cure to Global Plague

The collected sources offer a multi-faceted examination of the illegal drug trade, ranging from historical origins and international conspiracies to the modern-day consequences for individuals and communities. One set of texts focuses on longstanding allegations of CIA involvement in global drug trafficking, detailing claims across regions like Southeast Asia, Central America, and Afghanistan, primarily for anti-communist financing. Conversely, other sources address the contemporary landscape of drug trafficking in Latin America, highlighting how fragmented criminal groups, often armed and using sophisticated methods like maritime container contamination, perpetuate widespread violence and recruit vulnerable youth through economic exploitation and debt bondage, as illustrated by personal accounts. Finally, the historical context of heroin is provided, explaining how it was initially marketed as a non-addictive "miracle cure" by Bayer before its highly addictive nature led to the creation of the modern drug black market and subsequent drug epidemics, most recently fueled by synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

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