Drug Abuse: Drug Abuse Facts

Question: Drug abuse in america during the 1800's?

(Posted by: on 2010-08-23 11:28:09)

I am looking for people or references of drug abuse in the 1800's.

Posted by: pbandj on 2010-08-23, 11:32:02

Well, i believe cocaine an d heroin were legal, in fact i think coke a cola contained cocaine, hence the name.

Posted by: sniff THIS on 2010-08-23, 11:35:34

Morphine addiction became a problem in the US after the civil war: then the "Bayer " co. developed heroin as a "cure for morphine addiction !

Posted by: RockstarMonday on 2010-08-23, 11:36:04

Here is an interesting site for ya: druglibrary.org/ schaffer/ history/ casey1.htm The biggest of drugs being used during that time were tobacco, alcohol, and opium. During the 1800s, morphine was first derived from opium. Marijuana was also regulary used, and has been since early man (its also not sythesized like others drugs, and most consider it less of a drug).

Posted by: justjoe on 2010-08-23, 11:37:24

...............During and after the civil war for about 40 yrs masses of population were addicted to morphine...... most without even knowing it it was touted as a cure all fo just about everything and even Bayer aspirin added it and it displayed on the label.......Heroin.... was said to be the cure for morphine addiction after the 1900 s Other drugs widely used were laudanum and raw opium

Posted by: Friendly Pagan Sociopath on 2010-08-23, 11:47:36

Drugs like Ether were used in medical operations like sawing off limbs with gangrene, with it's industrial uses Ether was relatively easy to obtain, which caused much distress in the most puritan side of the population cause people started to use it as a recreational drug; In the late 1800's Morphine were more popular. But the most abused drug of that time was probably Opium, the British had a war with the Qing Dynasty of China for the free trade of Opium into Asia, it was called the First Opium War (1839-1842) and then the Second Opium War (1856-1860), China had at least two million addicts in that time (it was an incredibly high amount by the standards of those days).

Posted by: Jeff P on 2010-08-23, 12:19:51

Article about drug abuse in the 19th century: icons.org.uk/ theicons/ collection/ sherlock-holmes/ features/ drug-use-in-the-19th-century