Strang, John; Griffiths, Paul; Gossop, Michael, “Heroin Smoking by 'Chasing the Dragon': Origins and History” (1997)

Title : “Heroin Smoking by 'Chasing the Dragon': Origins and History”

Author(s) : Strang, John; Griffiths, Paul; Gossop, Michael

Year : 1997

Type : Journal article

Subject : History

Keywords : social;culture

Journal : Addiction

Volume : 92

Number : 6

Start page : 673

End page : 683

Language:Name : English

Support : Print

Abstract : Explores the history of heroin smoking, which originated in Shanghai in the 1920s & then spread across Eastern Asia & to the US, & the later development of a means of smoking called "chasing the dragon," which originated in or near Hong Kong in the 1950s & reached parts of Europe during the late 1970s & early 1980s & the Indian subcontinent during the 1980s. While "chasing the dragon" has now been reliably reported from many parts of the world, it has not spread to certain locations, eg, the US & Australia. The significance of this new form of heroin use is examined, including consideration of the role of its different effects, different types of heroin, & changing public attitudes to injecting.