The phenomenon of drug addiction has been known Poland for at least several dozen years.
In the period of the second Republic, it was not a major social problem. In 1933, the total of 295 addicts were hospitalized Poland. According to pre-war researchers, the number of drug addicts could be estimated at over 5 thousand persons the early 1930s. The pre-war addicts took first of all classic drugs: morphine, heroin, and cocaine. Also codeine, Somniphrene and Pantopon were rather frequently taken. Less frequent was the use of hashish, mescaline and peyotl. Headache wafers played the part of substitutes.
According to the data of the health service and the Warsaw public prosecutor's office, about three – fourth of drug addicts were men. Most addicts were their thirties; hardly any could be found among the youth, as far as morphinism is concerned particular. This type of addiction could be found nearly exclusively among persons aged over 30. The situation shaped ,somewhat differently as regards codeine addicts: also younger persons. could be found this group. In the socio professional structure of addicts included the files of the Warsaw public prosecutor's office, clerks prevailed; their percentage amounting to 30. The second most numerous group were craftsmen and tradesmen-,13 per cent, and the third on -representatives of medical professions (chemists, doctors, surgeon, assistants, nurses, midwifes) of whom there were 9 per cent. The percentage of workers was 2, of prostitutes-5, and artists-4. In the opinion of the most of the pre-war researchers, the above socio-professional structure is distorted. According to them, drug-addiction was much more widespread among officers (of the air force and navy particular), artists, writers and journalists. As regards religion, pre-war addicts constituted as varied a mosaic as the entire society those days. There were among them representatives of all of the most numerous religious groups then found Poland. Roman Catholics were most, and members of the orthodox church-least :susceptible to drug addiction. The pre-war researchers of drug addiction devoted a lot of attention to the problem of etiology of this ,,social disease'' Some of them stressed above all the medical-others-the economic and political, and still others - the cultural or those related to civilization causes. There were also conceptions that laid particular emphasis on physiology and biochemistry of the human body.
The evolution of drug addiction the post-war forty years may be divided into four stages.
The first of them lasted till about mid-1960s. The extent of the phenomenon was then limited, with the average of about 400 persons treated out-patient clinics, and about 150 -in psychiatric hospitals. Also the police statistics point to small sizes of this phenomenon. In 1967, as few as 9 offences directly related to drug addiction were recorded Poland. Drug addicts of those days descended from rather specific circles. They were mostly representatives of medical professions, that is persons with a relatively easy access to drugs. Over 90 per cent of all morphine addicts were employees of the health service. Drugs taken most frequently were the classical ones;(morphine, cocaine), tranquilizers (Glimid, Tardyl) and stimulants (amphetamines). In thest period, one could hardly speak of drug addiction as a subcultural phenomenon. It was mainly a medical problem. The majority of the drug persons were those already dependent. The addicts of those days formed no close groups sharing a given ideology, specific symbols or language. The of narcotic was not a social but an individual behaviour most cases.
The second stage are the late 1960s and the early 1970s. In that period, a rapid growth the extent of drug addiction can be noticed. In the years 1969-1973, the number of patients treated because of drug addiction out-patient psychiatric clinics was quintupled, and psychiatric hospitals, tripled. In 1972, there were about 3,150 patients treated psychiatric clinics, and about 600 psychiatric hospitals.
Also the number of offences directly related to drug addiction grew rapidly. While 1967 there was not a single instance of unauthorized giving of narcotic drug (art. 161 of the Penal Code) or of forging prescriptions (art. 265 § 1 of the Penal Code), 105 and 417 such acts respectively were recorded five years later. In 1971, over 3,000 persons taking narcotic drugs were registered the police files. As found a sociological study carried out 1972 among students of all grammar, vocational and elementary vocational schools Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia, 8.3 per cent of the respondents had contacts with narcotic drugs. In the case of about 45 per cent of this group, these contacts were occasional. According to the authors of the study, this percentage is the frequency of occurence of drug in the population of school youth Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot.'' In this early 1970s, the number of persons danger of becoming addicts (i.e. those who took regularly) and those already dependent was estimated at about 30 thousand.
In the discussed period, also the character of addiction underwent changes: it became a subcultural phenomenon. The base on which it developed were the youth contestation movements which emerged Poland as well. Addiction was given a cultural dimension by the ideology of the hippie movement. Taking ceased to be an individual behaviour and became a social one which expressed certain attitudes and symbolized the affiliation to a given subculture. The young who took formed smaller or bigger groups with strong internal bonds and a great sense of solidarity. They used specific symbols (way of dressing, recognition signals, rich repertoire of gestures, aliases, etc.) and quite a rich language (characteristic names of and activities related to their taking). The very of was acompanied by more or less developed rituals (narcotic coctails, seances, etc.).
In that period - and later on as well -the phenomenon of drug addiction was concentrated among the youth and highly urbanized and industrialized regions. In 1972, nearly 75 per cent of persons hospitalized for the first time were those aged under 25, and over 60 per cent-under 29. In 1970, over 90 per cent of addicts treated hospitals lived towns. The limited drug marked. caused the youth to resort to substitutes on the unpracedented scale. In those years, general use of such substances as trichloroethylene, Ixi (washing powder), Butaprene (glus), ether, benzene, solvents and others started. Yet the major typ of addiction still remaind that to opium and its derivates, particularly men, and to sleeping-draught and tranquilizers women.
The third stage the evolution of drug addiction are the years 1973-1976. In that period, a nearly 27 per cent decrease the total of patients of psychiatric clinics, and a 40 per cent one the case of those treated for the first time could be noticed. The morbidity index went down from 3.5 to 2.0. A similar trend, though less dynamic one, concerned also hospital service. In an attempt at explaining this phenomenon, three factors should be mentioned. Firstly, the early 1970s are the period when youth movements started to die out. Also a relative social peace reigned those years, which caused drug addiction lose its socio-cultural base. Secondly, the medical authorities introduced a number of limitations the accessibility of that period. Thirdly, repressive action of the police also influenced this tendency to a high degree. The prosecution agencies not only increased their efficiency greatly, but also acquired a much better knowledge of the addicts circles. These actions however proved insufficient to fully control addiction.
The fourth stage the evolution of addiction started the late 1970s. In the years 1977-1984, the number of patients treated out-patient clinics increased twice over, and that of hospitalized persons - five times over. The indicates of dissemination and morbidity grew rapidly. Beginning from mid-1970s, the number of persons registered the police files grew nearly two and a half times over. Also the number of deaths due to over dosage went up from year to year. In 1978, 18 such cases were recorded, with the number amounting to as many as 117 1986. The number of offences directly related to drug addiction went up from 1,093 1978 to 3,014 1983. The number of persons narcotic was estimated at about 500-800 thousand 1983; that of persons danger of becoming addicts - at 99-95 thousand, and of actual addicts - about 40 thousand. Such is the minimum spread of the discussed phenomenon.
The unprecedented dissemination of drug addiction may be attributed to the emergence of two factors of which one is technological, and the other one psycho-social. In mid-1970s, the technology of production of a strong drug from poppy was worked out Poland, which resulted a great amount of strong narcotics appearing on the market. on the other hand, crisis started to accumulate Poland mid-1970s, which resulted a growing frustration among the youth. The concurrence of these two factors brought about the explosion of drug addiction.