When did drugs become illegal?

[Angcuru]

I would hardly call codeine "heavily used". These days it's dextromethorphan and/or giuiafusenin.

I for one have a large stash of codeine left over from when I had chronic bronchitis, and a bout of mononucleosis back in '98. It made breathing slightly easier, but tasted horrible. The stuff I was prescribed came in syrup form, but mix that up with some frozen gatorade and you've got a nice big feel-good slushie. Mind you, if you have to concentrate on breathing every waking minute, a little opiate buzz was hardly noticable.

 

[Dogbrain]

I for one have a large stash of codeine left over from when I had chronic bronchitis, and a bout of mononucleosis back in '98.

And I know somebody that has a collection of rare orchids. But that doesn't mean that it is still not valid to claim that orchids are not the most likely thing to see in an Indiana garden.

 

[Dogbrain]

Yes, if you're only going over the counter, you don't see codeine. But for prescription, it's reasonably common. Your definition of "heavily" may vary, of course.

Let's talk about number of doses sold per annum. I'd say that non-prescription would beat prescription. Likewise, how often do we see advertisements for opiates SPECIFICALLY targeted at having them being administered for children? That IS what was done before. Likewise, how many opiates are sold without any sort of prescription or legal limitation, like they were during the "temperance" era. It is amazing that support for alcohol prohibition waned as laws against free opiate sales got passed. Evidently, the Temperance Ladies weren't nearly as pure as they would have had the rest of the world believe.

 

[The Druid Merlin]

Oddly enough, though, that was also an era in which the most respectable of people thought nothing of taking "tonics" that consisted of opiates--and giving these same things to children. Indeed, opiate concoctions were a heavily-used cough medication--often advertised as ideal to give to children. And this was respectable, not like that demon weed.

During the Victorian era they actually sold chocolate canides filled with tincture of cannibis. Now tincture of cannibis is simply a suspension of cannibis (also known as marijana) in a solution of alchol. Even Queen Victoria ate these candies to treat menstral cramps. So yes Dogbrain Queen Victoria was a pothead.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

So yes Dogbrain Queen Victoria was a pothead.

And didn't she also use the original formula Coca Cola a lot, too? So pot and coke.

Victoria was a hip, hip, hip lady. No, not really.

 

[The Druid Merlin]

And didn't she also use the original formula Coca Cola a lot, too? So pot and coke.

Victoria was a hip, hip, hip lady. No, not really.

Well she did drink tincture of cannibis which is simply an alcohol marijuana mix. Of course this wwasn't for "recreational purposeus".

 

[The Druid Merlin]

And didn't she also use the original formula Coca Cola a lot, too? So pot and coke.

Victoria was a hip, hip, hip lady. No, not really.

Well she did drink tincture of cannibis which is simply an alcohol marijuana mix. Of course this wasn't for "recreational purposeus".

 

[Orius]

I assume we are talking about drug laws in the United States? And I assume we are excluding alcohol, tobacco, and other legal, but dependency-forming chemicals?

I think around the beginning of the 20th century is a good rough estimate. Quick search on google gave the following:

I would say about the same too. I know marijuana was outlawed around the same time as Prohibition. I would imagine cocaine was outlawed around the same time. Maybe opium too, though I can't really say. More modern stuff was probably never legal.

 

[reanjr]

Coca Cola had real cocaine in it. thus the name.

That was back when it was used for medicinal purposes, though. Since 1902, the amount of cocaine in Coca-Cola was too little to even be tested for. By 1929, it was gone. The main reaon they kept the coca in it was to keep a strong hold on the name Coca-Cola, which contained both coca and kola, as they did not have a patent on the tonic.

 

[reanjr]

Were and still are. Codeine is an alkaloid obtained from opium, and is still widely used as an analgesic and cough suppressant. You need a prescription form a doctor these days, but if you get a bad enough case of bronchitis, you probably wind up taking the stuff.

Over the counter in Canada. Lots of people go over to get Codeine. About twice the dosage in American version, though.