Medicinal And Recreational Drug Use In The 20th Century
In 1943 Selman Waksman discovered Streptomycin which was the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis (TB). The chance of dying from a bacterial infection today is only 120 of what it was in the early 1900s because of the difference antibiotics.
Over the counter drugs (OTC) are drugs that do not require a prescription to obtain. Generally such drugs are less powerful with smaller chances of side effects. Some common OTC drugs are often pain relievers (Antipyretic analgesics) such as Tylenol. Tylenols main ingredient is Acetaminophen which is found in fever reducers and pain relievers. Acetaminophen was approved by the FDA in 1951. Although side effects of this drug are not likely, the most common is liver damage due to overuse of the drug or use with alcohol. Other OTC drugs include antacids like Tums. Tums is a calcium based drug which helps prevent heartburn and indigestion. Baldness remedies such as Rogaine are sold over the counter too.
Vaccines advanced greatly in the 1900s starting with the Polio vaccination. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was infect with the Poliovirus in 1921 and became paralyzed in his legs. According to the national health museum there were 2,525 diagnosed cases of po
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Another large part of American drug culture is cocaine. Cocaine is derived from the Coca plant and has been used as remedies for upset stomachs as well as stimulants in South American culture for as many as 5000 years. In the 1970s as the disco era peaked cocaine use did too. The drug was imported mainly from Columbia where the conditions are perfect for the coca plant to grow and be harvested. Its effects are like that of caffeine only more intense with a stronger addictiveness. Cocaine is also considered more dangerous than caffeine because of its strength and the numbness effects it has on the body. Until 1903 the Coca-Cola company sold Cokes which contained 60mg of cocaine. Presently the company still uses Coca in there products but only as flavoring. In the latter half of the 1980s crack cocaine was introduced to the US. It exploded through the country as a cheap and easy way to get high. Side effects of crack are sometimes considered more dangerous than cocaine causing extreme paranoia and hallucinations.
As marijuana use grew among the American youth and John Kennedy came to office penalties for marijuana lessened. It seemed the marijuana usage would not decline regardless of the penalties. Throughout the 70s marijuana was decriminalized in 11 states. In 1986 Ronald Regan signed an act stating that there would be mandatory sentences for drug related crimes. Recently Marijuana has been legalized for medicinal purposes treating conditions such as glaucoma, anorexia, cancer and arthritis. This past summer Canada decriminalized marijuana use among the public.
Lysergic acid diethylamide commonly called Acid or LSD is a hallucinogen. It was discovered in 1938 by scientist Albert Hofmann who was creating the drug to relieve headaches. The drug was later used to try to cure alcoholics and was tested on patients with mental illnesses. The United States Army also used the drug as a truth serum in the early 50s. Acid is said to lead the hippie movement of the 1960s with its psychedelic and mind altering effects. The usage of LSD was an enormous influence for artists and painters in the 60s.
In 1906 a Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in America which made it necessary for any drugs sold over the counter to label if they contain marijuana. Marijuana smoking was a large part of Mexican culture which immigrants brought with them
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