doi:10.7916/d8-2gch-sb36Oral history interview with Edith D., 1980D., Edithoral historiesmixed materialNightclubs--New York (State)Drug addicts--United StatesOpium abuse--History--20th century.--United StatesHeroin abuse--History--20th century.--United StatesMethadone maintenance--History--20th century.--United StatesD., EdithD., AbeEdith D. discusses the arc of her life, jobs, relationships, and addictions. She discusses her time working in dress shops and checkrooms, and her involvement in organizing unions in nightclubs, which included communicating with crime boss Louis Lepke Buchalter. She describes the class-based scenes of opium smokers. She is dying of throat cancer at the time of the interview, and approximately half-way through the interview, she gets too tired to speak, so her husband Abe D. begins speaking too. She and Abe discuss the social perceptions of an opium user versus a heroin junkie. They also discuss the changing prices of opium, various "cures," the mechanics of an opium pipe, and the transition to using heroin. The interview mentions a number of famous people the couple encountered through drug circles: Rudy Vallee, Irving Berlin, Billy Rose, and Billie Holiday