Heroin: An Illustrated History

by Susan C Boyd

Heroin is an illustrated history of Canadian heroin regulation over two centuries. Susan Boyd points to our failure to address the overdose death epidemic caused by criminalizing drug users and to the decades of resistance to harm-reduction policies. Heroin, discovered in 1898, was heralded as an important medicine and successfully marketed as a pain reliever and cough suppressant. Until the early 1950s, heroin was prescribed for therapeutic use in Canada. Yet, illegal heroin use became the focus of drug prohibition advocates and law enforcement, who painted it as highly addictive and destructive. Systemic racism was the impetus for our first anti-heroin laws; the race, gender and class of users influenced drug control, which, by the 1930s, became the focus of law enforcement. Flawed ideas about heroin and people who use the drug have shaped drug law and policy for decades. This book is informed by documentary evidence and the experiences of people who use/used heroin, drug user unions and harm-reduction advocates. These sources highlight the structural violence of drug policy that uses prohibition and criminalization as the main response to drug use.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Canada, Cultural

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 15, 2022

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

As long as politicians and “moral” leaders can use suffering for their gain…

How did the book make me feel/think?

HEROIN (AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY) is a gorgeous book.

Susan Boyd is exemplary in tamping down the stigma afflicting not only the usage of Heroin but also all (illegal) substances. This is a vitally important book.

I never thought I would become a neophyte on this controversial subject. But Boyd’s words caused my mind to rattle awake and form thoughts on Heroin, drugs, a racialized legal system, white supremacy, and not to be left out of the mix, the toxicity seeping into the halls of the morally vapid portions of Christianity. Drug policy is frankly a war on, and against, the poor. From the beginning of time, politicians and religious leaders needed targets to demonize to control their shrinking flocks. An easy target is those suffering in the grips of poverty and not born into birthright. Drug users are not lesser. Life is bleeping hard. All drugs aren’t the same, nor do they affect every user the same way. There is no broad brush.

As long as politicians and religious leaders believe it is a tool in their toolbox to solicit votes of those amongst us on high horses → humanizing those who fall through society’s cracks, don’t have much of a chance.

HEROIN (AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY) has made me hypersensitive to the hypocritical judgement of people I know. People riding through life on high horses, believing somehow, they are immune to life struggles, believing anyone battling addiction did it to themselves and, therefore, deserves no compassion. That sickens me.

As long as politicians and “moral” leaders can use suffering for their gain, how will we ever be able to stamp out racism, white supremacy, poverty, and the rot of misguided religion?

Page 61 could have been taken right out of the RIGHT-WING POLITICAL PLAYBOOK, sorry about the ALLCAPS.
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That’s how this book made me feel.

WRITTEN: 10 May 2022

[Mattia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Supposedly about the history of heroin. The author's main thesis is that heroin should be legal and provided free for addicts. Most of the book was arguing in favour of heroin assisted treatment (free legal heroin for addicts) in Canada. There was some useful history earlier on, but it needed more sources. I did not expect a whole book arguing for government-provided free heroin without enough primary sources or proofreading. There's a definite bias here. I don't agree with the author that drugs are harmless and the only harm is prohibition either, although I agree with decriminalising minor possession. I did like the illustrations. I'm surprised the public library bought this book.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done. Could have used a tighter edit and a more comprehensive proofread, but that doesn’t really signify.

[Ebeth.Hawesgmail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book! I do hope future editions are proofread a bit more carefully (especially the first few chapters)