Opium

Synopsis

Opium is a drug with two faces. It causes violent disputes, wars and crime, but can make life worth living for those with terrible illnesses. Before opium was synthesized into heroin, medical use of the drug in China evolved into recreational use in opium dens and poet Coleridge saw his visions of Kubla Khan in a drug induced dream. Recent attempts to destroy fields of poppies in countries such as Afghanistan have led to deadly clashes with local growers. Yet nature has given us no better form of pain relief and opiates are critical in the treatment of cancer. Has fear of addiction led to patients suffering unnecessary pain?

Broadcast as three 30-minute programmes:
FOR PLEASURE AND FOR PAIN - The painkilling and pleasure-giving effects of opium have been known and celebrated in ancient cultures for millennia. With the invention of the hypodermic syringe during the American Civil War, opiates really came into their own as both powerful pain killers on the battlefield and as the drugs of abuse and addiction....

TRADERS AND TRAFFICKERS - Today it is Afghanistan that is synonymous with the War on Drugs and the War on Terror, but it hasn’t always been that way. A trade war with China in the mid 19th century made the British Empire the biggest drug traffickers in the world...

THE WAR ON DRUGS - The evidence from the streets around the world is causing people to question the War on Drugs. Started for political reasons by US President Richard Nixon, some former narcotics officers are convinced that the crack down has actually encouraged the kind of networks that produce crime and violence. Is it possible to completely wipe out drug addiction?

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2011

Notes

Broadcast

Subjects

Social Studies; Medical sciences

Keywords

drugs; heroin; pain management; pharmacology; opium

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£10.00

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

90 minutes

Year

2011

Sections

Title

For Pleasure and For Pain

Duration

30 mins

Title

Traders and Traffickers

Duration

30 mins

Title

Traders and Traffickers.

Duration

30 mins

Production Company

Name

Open University

Distributor

Name

Nomad Films

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk