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People have been taking opiate/opioid narcotics of various kinds, often in extremely large quantities, for many many centuries.
I would consider it virtually UN-thinkable for one to suggest that there are ANY (even remotely) 'visible' (speaking euphemistically here) side-effects, such as dramatic hearing loss, of (even long-term, heavy) narcotics usage that would not be common knowledge at this late stage in mankind's history.
At the very least, a side-effect of such an obvious nature as hearing loss would be common knowledge amongst narcotic users themselves, but its equally unlikely that it would only recently be noted in clinical testing.
I can state unequivocably there IS NO such common knowledge, and that I'm rather intimately tied to said group via various "associations" in my life.
In a nutshell, I'd bet a LOT of money that this 'angle' is utter, pure, unadulterated HORSEPUCKEY.
Unless the problem is actually caused by an additive to the narcotic. An obvious suspect here would be acetaminophen, the other active ingredient in such analgesic compounds as Vicodin, Darvocet, and Percocet, which is actually pretty nasty stuff when you start talking about the equivalent of 60-90 Extra Strength Tylenols per DAY.
Thank goodness for the pure dope rush of Roxy's and Oxy's, both are APAP free. Far too many good people have died an early death due to vicodin addiction over the past 30-40 years, for absolutely no good reason other than the government's misguided War On Drugs, the priority of which seems to revolve around studiously avoiding any semblance of a 'harm-reduction' strategy in favor of being as punitive as is socially/politically possible.
People often ask me, when I advocate ending the drug war completely and immediately, "Wow, you mean even the hard stuff, like Heroin?".
To which I vehemently reply "ESPECIALLY the hard stuff like Heroin, my friend. Especially that... The MORE physically and mentally addictive a drug is, the MORE HARM it's illegal status is likely to cause". And I absolutely DO believe that ... passionately!
In an enlightened world, each day, the 'dope fiends' could walk or get rides down to the 24/7 government drug store to pick up their shit. They'd be asked each time if they are ready to get treated for their problem, and the taxes collected from dope sales would be used exclusively for the treatment of addicts who WANT it. In order to help placate the nervous nellies/drug-warriors, this tax could perhaps be also be used as restitution for victims of the occasional 'dope-related crime', but the reality is there'd be suddenly FAR FEWER, not far more, of such crimes.
You see, narcotics are not really known to cause the user to get violent, at least not on their own. The violence comes strictly out of desperation to get MORE. Which is a result of the WOD making the stuff 100X more expensive than it is to make!
Whilst many are technically synthetic, their 'action' is remarkably 'natural'. In fact, MORE 'natural' than perhaps ANY other class of drug (and highly contrary to their 'hard' reputation). The reason I say that is because they work by mimicking the actions of a substance your body already produces (aka l-dopamine, an endorphin, which activate one of the brains most primitive pleasure centers in a complex process often called the 'brain's reward mechanism') . However, because true dopamine breaks down faster, and is released only occasionally and in much smaller quantities than what you get in, say, an OC80, it is much less likely to 'addict' you.
Interestingly, though, people DO get 'addicted' to their own endorphins. Ever notice how some people just seem to NEED to do exciting, even life-threatening things on a regular basis, like, skydive or mountain-climb? Ever notice how you often feel a bit of a 'rush' and a distinct sense of 'well-being' after a good workout? And i think most people have heard of 'runners high', right?
Most people think of these as being the result of an 'adrenaline rush', but that is actually slightly off the mark. What you THINK you enjoy about 'adrenaline' is in all likelihood actually the enjoyment of a release of Dopamine AFTER the adrenaline. These two work in conjunction with one another (along with epinephrine and a couple others), in a reaction wherein they are perhaps best described as 'antagonists' of each other. A good analogy would be, say, crystal meth and valium.
The adrenaline is, obviously, the crystal in the equation, and that is released during the 'excitement' or the 'exercise' itself. Since this drug is closely linked to your 'fight-or-flight' instinct, it pours into your bloodstream when you need a burst of energy to respond to a 'stress' of some kind. In todays world, this is more likely to be a ski jump or a bit of strenuous exercise rather than spotting a hungry saber-tooth that you need to run away from at high speeds. As such, adrenaline is not really all that much 'fun'. The 'good feeling' that comes later is the result of an increase in production of dopamine, designed to calm your body down after a dose of adrenaline. It acts like the valium a speedster takes to get to sleep (finally!).
In fact, in virtually every way, narcotics work the same as natural endorphins. The problem with taking this stuff to feel good is that your body LOVES this stuff. LOVES. It affects the brain on a very, very primitive level, the 'live or die' level, and a constant oversupply of it causes the body to simply cease to produce it on its own. The rub (and it's huge) is that dopamine is responsible for basically EVERY GOOD FEELING you EVER HAVE, as well as your bodies own natural pain-killer - and believe you me, your body is naturally in A TON of pain without this particular drug flowing through your veins at all times. During withdrawals, without any endorphins produced naturally, the effect is like every single cell screaming at the top of it's little lungs "OWWWWWW!!! Help Me! I'm DYING!!!
Contributing to the misery is that the body has adjusted to over-produce stimulating drugs like adrenaline and epinephrine. Unfortunately, it takes the brain QUITE some time to re-adjust itself to normal if the artificial dopamine is taken out of the equation.
So basically, narcotics are the OPPOSITE of the drugs that cause violence. THOSE drugs usually cause irrational anger w/ loss of social inhibition and enhanced tendency toward jealousy/insecurity.
Back to the subject, if the dope fiend chooses 'not yet' (to quit using), they would be allowed to purchase the opioid/opiate of their choice.
It would be priced based on this formula:
Wholesale Co$t
+ $mall profit margin for the makers/suppliers/transporters
+ fairly $izable 'luxury' tax
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$ Consumer Price, estimated to be between 5-15% of current street value
Usage/tolerance would be tracked carefully to minimize 'diversion' (Such as to children or non-addicts) and the people could buy an amount equal to or slightly more than they received the day before, no more, no less. It would be of a consistent purity/strength, nearly eliminating overdoses. They would receive a few fresh, clean needles if their drug of choice required it, cutting down on aids and infections.
I hope it happens someday. But for today, Rush's hearing problems aren't from taking narcotics. There is simply no way. This 'feature' of dope would be extremely wellknown by now if it was capable of causing that problem...
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