Drugs: Availability & Related Issues

Since the 1600’s drugs were first recreationally. One of the first drugs discovered which was before the civil war was Marijuana, it was used to create revenue for the U.S for the entire 19th century and later from the early 1840’s into the 1930’s was also used medicinally at which point it was banned in the United States. As time went on into the 1950’s is when there was a massive influx in drug use and we start to see, Meth, Cocaine, LSD and even heroin used recreationally. As time went on so did the number of users for recreational drugs, which made access much easier. Moving forward today we are plagued with places and sources to get drugs but also with technology can now manufacture synthetic blends intern can lead to drug use and substance abuse at much earlier ages.

Marijuana is possibly the oldest drug in American history, it was first gown by the James town settlers in the early 1600’s and was primarily grown by for revenue. It was issued and used by the government as a pain reliever for illness which were not curable at the time and also used as an anesthetic. Marijuana also helped during the 1920’s because it was a great legal alternative to drinking, it wasn’t until 1937 when marijuana was banned because it was used more in lower class areas which tend to have a higher number of crimes and violence that the government banned the substance. In 1966 California unbanned the substance but also held it only available legally for those who are in serious mental need, and since then there have been multiple other states to follow including Colorado being the first state in the U.S to make it legal to consume for non-ill regular individuals. While many people have tried to decriminalize marijuana it still remains illegal except for certain states.
Another drug which was popular in the 1920’s for medical use was Methamphetamine. The drug was first introduced as an anti-depressant, which was great for Veterans after war, because it also helped raise blood pressure, and enlarge nasal passages which gave more endurance. While it was legal to purchase over the counter, amphetamines still entered the market for anyone who wanted to stay awake and be able to concentrate longer than an average human or even as a boost in sports. The stimulant amphetamine first became popular in the medical community in the 1920s, where it was used for stimulating the central nervous system, raising blood pressure, and enlarging nasal passages. Amphetamines were widely distributed to soldiers during World War II to combat fatigue and improve endurance and mood, and were prescribed by doctors after the war to help fight depression. Methamphetamines later grew popular during the 1960’s and 1970’s when it was labeled speed and used as an injectable in gangs and particularly motor cycle groups labeled as the “1 per centers”. In the 1990’s Crystal meth became the drug of choice for kids in high school and college, blue collar workers due to the fact that it is cheap and typically high school and college kids can use it to not only stay up later but focus more and blue collar workers use it for the fact that it can keep them going for longer and its price and availability.
While cocaine was popular in other countries since the 1600’s and used for tooth aches and contentment it, the actual product of cocaine produced form coca leaves was first discovered in the 1830’s in Europe for an anesthetic and also a tooth whitener. In the late 1880’s the Coca Cola company used real coca leaves to create the syrup which made the soda, and it had such good results that later in the year the U.S Surgeon General stated that cocaine would be used as a medical treatment and until the early 1900’s many ointments and creams for pain contained cocaine. It was until also the 1920’s that cocaine as fully banned and we saw it come back heavily during the late 1970’s into the 1980’s. By the middle of the 1980’s