Originating from the Greek root narco, meaning numbness, the word Narcodex refers to an index of numbing substances. This particularly designates the abilities of drugs to numb the senses, body and mind of an individual.

A surprisingly large number of Greek myths have connections with medicine. These myths cover a wide range of effects that medicine may cause, ranging from pathological conditions to psychological disabilities. The Greek's interest in the medical arts dates back to the beginning of the fifth century and into the Christian period. Such older cults of Apollo the Healer and his son apprentice Asclepios are from an earlier level than Hippocratic medicine, and had a different range of medical preoccupations.

The impact of Asclepios' medicine can be seen all around us, through his symbol. Representing the healing art of medicine, Asclepios' symbol is a knotted wooden staff encircled by a single snake. Both Apollo the Healer and Asclepios concentrated their efforts on determining what medicine could, and could not do.

Medicine in general may have many uses. Some use it illicitly, while others believe it will save them from death. Nevertheless, as ancient Greek mythology relates, Asclepios is unable to save himself and dies by violence, which is a symbolic way of stating the truth that no medicine is proof against death.

*Narcodex, the Drug-free Initiative*

Drugs. A topic clouded with years of speculation, scientific studies, recalls, overdoses, verifiable medical effectiveness, and death. Yet to what extent do drugs really save lives?

When it comes to our health, we have every right to be thoroughly informed on everything administered to us, be it from former prescription medication bearing a name containing more than 26 letters or the commonly consumed street drugs. Initially, most prescription medication was developed to cure illnesses, but some began to be used illegally. What are the risks? Have any alerts (Food and Drug Administration warnings) been recently issued? Are there any dangerous side effects? Narcodex thrives to answer these questions.

However, with the numerous drugs available out there, we have yet to wonder if they are all so necessary. Narcodex offers this opportunity for concerned individuals to post their opinions, update information, create new articles and share their personal experiences with the Narcodex community. But we don't stop there.

Constantly searching for the latest trusted information, Narcodex encourages health professionals, law enforcement figures and community groups to voice their concerns. In a world dictated by drugs for every illness, to accommodate sleep, to facilitate dancing or to plainly escape from reality, expressing discontentment against the drugs readily available to the population isn't widely practiced. We wish to break down these barriers by making the Narcodex content accessible to all.

This drug-free initiative actively supports individuals to contribute to the informational and personal content on the website. Proving to become a growing informational resource for drug-free treatment, prevention and education, Narcodex wishes to take a determining step on a new perspective regarding the role drugs play in our society.

For more information, please visit www.narcodex.ca.

The Narcodex Team,

Changing the way drugs are perceived