doi:10.7916/d8-vf5d-ms39Oral history interview with Jerry, 1980Jerryoral historiesmixed materialDrug addicts--United StatesDrug traffic--History--20th century.--United StatesDrug abuse--History--20th century.--United StatesOpium abuse--History--20th century.--United StatesHeroin abuse--History--20th century.--United StatesMethadone maintenance--History--20th century.--United StatesJerryIn this interview, Jerry discusses his life in Brooklyn, New York, with a special focus on his drug use. Jerry describes his observations of the typical opium user and their occupations including showmen and women, conmen, and bookmakers. He also compares the class of people using opium to the class of people using heroin, and discusses popular attitudes held by opium users towards heroin users. He explains his process of converting crude or medicinal opium into smoking opium. He compares the price of opium between the 1930s and the 1940s. He describes how many opium users he knew were forced to switch to heroin in the late 1940s and early 1950s because opium became scarce. He also mentions that after World War II, the opium trade was no longer a commercial business, but a matter of personal connections. He describes how he transitioned to Dolophines in the early 1950s when he could no longer obtain opium. He describes how he bought the Dolophine from street dealers for several years before obtaining a prescription from his family doctor. He delves into the process, strategies, and challenges of redeeming prescription drugs. He discusses his twenty-five year career as a presser in a ladies’ sportswear factory. He details the effect of methadone, and compares it to that of opium