Basic Overview of Drugs in Our Culture

Drugs are a hot topic right now. Since the article in the LA Times wrote about a politician wanting to legalize marijuana to pay off California's debts, I've been seeing a steady stream of aruguments about legalizing drugs.

I've thought a little bit about it but lately I feel as if I'm just reading opinions. Where are the facts?
I want to find out for myself.

Basic Overview of Drugs in Our Culture:

Drugs are everywhere. They are on the streets and in homes. Anyone can find them at schools and at work. Drugs are sold at grocery stores, pharmacies and on dark street corners. Minor pain relief can be purchased freely, while other kinds of drugs have to be prescribed by a physician. The strongest drugs are obtained illegally under the nose of those in law enforcement. People of all ages use them for a variety of reasons as different drugs have different effects on the user. They have the ability to speed up or slow down the user, to put him or her to sleep or to cause wild dreams. Many drugs relieve or numb pain. However, regardless of the original intent of drugs, many are abused. Today drugs are clearly present in everyday life but opinions surrounding the drug culture vary. Some Americans fight for the elimination of drugs, while others fight to legalize what they consider harmless drugs. It is an age old, controversial argument. Drugs have become ingrained into American Culture and affect all Americans in a negative way.


Drugs have spiked in popularity in the last few decades but mind altering substances are not new. Drugs have been used in natural occurring forms for centuries. In a long process, natural occurring forms of drugs were transformed into the substances used widely today. Psychedelic drugs are believed to have been used as early as the Classic Age in 450 B.C. during early religious ceremonies (15 Newman). Some civilizations even centered their entire culture on drugs such as the Incas. Their drug of choice was coca. Modern day cocaine is derived from coca (13 Berne). The enslaved people would walk with coca leaves in their mouths to satisfy hunger and give them strength (21 Davis). Sacrifices were made to coca and priests would toss the leaves into the air to the gods before journeys (24 Berne). But, adversity to Coca was present. The Catholic Church tried to outlaw it in the sixteenth century, claiming the leaves to be an illusion of the devil (21 Davis). From almost the beginning of its existence, drugs have been supported and opposed by different groups of people. Some religions and belief structures continue to speak out against drugs yet many American citizens support drugs. Regardless of who believes what, the lines are drawn and have been for centuries.
The foundation for America’s drug culture was laid early on, approximately in the sixteenth century.

Early explorers like Francisco Hernandez first discovered drugs in the Americas in the sixteenth century. The substances used by the natives were not quite the same substances being traded on city corners late at night though. Drugs have evolved overtime. Coca began its journey of change in 1860 when German chemist Albert Niemann distilled cocaine from the coca leaf (13 Berne). Originally alchemists in the Middle Ages discovered the effects of distillation on alcohol, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that morphine was distilled from opium and cocaine from coca (17 Newman). Medical and technological advances had a direct role in the growing popularity of drugs. The hypodermic needle was invented in 1853 and was used on a large scale during the Civil War. The drugs took affect faster in the liquid form and this sequentially made it easier to become addicted. Heroin was produced in Germany in 1892 from opium and was considered a miracle drug because it cured morphine addictions. The medical world was unaware that heroine was the most addictive of all drugs. By the end of the nineteenth century inexpensive medicines containing alcohol, cocaine, morphine and heroin were widespread (18 Newman). Barbiturates were also developed in the late nineteenth century. Phenobarbital, for example, was created to ease insomnia. Amphetamines were manufactured around this time and were synthetic drugs, meaning they were made completely in laboratories. Amphetamines were used widely by combat troops and pilots during World Was II to stay awake. They continued to be used after the war for various reasons. They could suppress hunger for diets or provide endurance for long jobs (19 Newman). Without realizing it, America was becoming dependent on drugs. Substances that had started out as seemingly innocent medications left users addicted and desperate. Drugs were used causally for work and even some of the strongest drugs where accessible in medicine available at pharmacies. The development of drugs was a long process but took off quickly once it exploded.


Drugs boomed in the 1960’s. This decade is memorable for many reasons. Silver peace signs and hippies with long hair are memorable symbols of the time period. But it is also the time period when drugs as a whole made the jump from the medical world to every day social life, and the media is partially responsible for this. It is a familiar scene to watch Americans idolize TV stars, chart topping musicians and air brushed models. Secretly, deep down in the hearts of fanatics, is the desire to emulate their idol. When the media became hooked on drugs, thousands of Americans consequently were hooked as well. Drugs like cocaine began to appear in nightclubs and later on in discos. They were shown in movies, broadcasted on television and sang about on the radio. The discovery of Crack was made in 1970. It was made by mixing cocaine and baking soda to produce small rocks that could be smoked. It was much more intense then cocaine, easy to make and widely available in the 1980’s (16 Berne). The introduction of raves, selective clubs
targeted at young adults, created popular drug centers. Ecstasy became the drug of choice at raves (10 Bender). Approximately one million tablets of Ecstasy are smuggled into the U.S. everyday (28 Malmstrom).


Drugs were not just present in the evenings and on weekends though. School administrators and company supervisors soon found out they had drug problems on their hands. It has been argued that drugs do not affect work performance; however, statistics have shown increased petty theft and accidents in the work place increase with marijuana use. As a result drug testing is required in many jobs today. Potential employees may be required to submit a urine sample to be tested for drugs before being hired and many employees face random drug testing. One employer recalls having to let go of 25 percent of his workforces when his company began testing (14 Mur).


Politicians have been pushing for the elimination of drugs for some time. Laws tend to change as drug statistics fall and rise. In 1928 there were fifty thousand to one hundred thousand marijuana users in the U.S. but the numbers had jumped to twenty-four to fifty million by the 1980’s. In 1959 the amount of cocaine users rose from ten thousand to ten to twenty million users in the U.S. in the 1980’s (ix Zinberg). Keeping these numbers in mind, the federal government had difficulties agreeing on specific problems and solutions, yet they all seemed to be in agreement that illegal drugs were a problem in the United States. President Nixon declared a war on drugs in 1971 saying, “If we cannot destroy the drug menace in the United States then it will surely destroy us.” Federal funds for various abuse prevention programs doubled in 1972. Different groups and organizations were put together in an effort to stop drugs but were unable to stop drug statistics from rising. In 1972, almost half a million pounds of pot and more than seven thousand pounds of narcotics were seized, but it wasn’t a large enough impact to enforce change. Approximately six billion dollars were spent on drug prevention and enforcement programs during the 1970’s, but the government began to realize the elimination plan was failing. The Federal Strategy Council for Drug Abuse and Drug Traffic Prevention admitted in 1979 that “Drug abuse in the United States has evolved from an acute to a chronic problem…It is apparent from the magnitude of annual drug consumption in the United States that the use of drugs including alcohol has become an integral part of our culture” (9 Schroeder). Drugs have evolved past the point of government interference. The government can limit and restrict drugs but it has not yet found a way to effectively stop the consumption and trade of drugs. Drugs are too common and have become so ingrained in society that people are not willing to give it up.


Drugs have become a status symbol for many of its younger users. As a result, common sayings such as “Just say no” and “Above the influence” are commonly displayed. Teenagers start using drugs for different reasons. In most cases teenagers start using to follow the crowd. It is very important during the teenage years to fit in with their peers. Consequently, they are at risk for starting habits they may not be able to break later on in life. It is not just marijuana that teenagers try, though. Many become addicted to stronger drugs. Some end up at Drug Treatment centers but more frequently they do not. An estimated 50 percent of high school seniors have smoked marijuana at least once (19 Walters).


But no matter what age, drug use results in consequences. Newborn babies must pay the price if the mother uses drugs during pregnancy. Some examples of what drug use during pregnancy can cause are: miscarriage, low birth weight and premature births (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/illegaldrugs.html). Drug use can lead to expulsion from school, termination from a job or a sentence to prison. There are substantial health risks that go hand and hand with drugs as well. Drug use leads to the spread of AIDS and HIV. An overdoes can lead to death. The effects of individual drugs can be dangerous as well. If a user felt invincible, for example, they might attempt to jump long distances and fall. Too often, accidents on the road are indicators of loss of abilities when under the influence of drugs. In families, drugs can be devastating to relationships and finances.


Drugs are present in the lives of Americans everyday. Through television shows, movies and music even young children are exposed to opinions surrounding drugs. The opinions vary; in many instances drug abuse is glamorized but at other times it is shown to be harmful. Regardless of what the media shows, there are many consequences to drug use. They are not always stressed but they do in fact exist. The health risks of using drugs are substantial. Drugs also hinder relationships, personal achievements and complicate careers. Time and time again solutions have been proposed to elimination drug consumption and distribution but all have failed to make a difference. Until a successful plan is discovered and carried out drugs will continue to affect the lives of everyone from small babies to senior citizens. It is an unfortunate reality that America faces. Because drugs are such a large part of American culture, unless the culture itself is altered, the problem will continue to manifest. Drugs began their rule over cultures since nearly the beginning of time and perhaps will continue to hold power over the lives of its users until the end of time.



Bender, David. Teen Addiction. 1st. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997.
Berne, Emma. Cocaine. 1st. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2006.
Malmstrom, Frederick. "Ecstasy Is Harmful."Drug Abuse Opposing View Points. 2005.
Newman, Gerald, and Eleanor Newman Layfield. PCP. 1st. Springfield: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1997.
Schroeder, Richard. The Politics of Drugs. 2nd. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1980.
"Using Illegal Street Drugs During Pregnancy." American Pregnancy Association . 2008. 20 May 2008 <(http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/illegaldrugs.html>.
Wade, Davis. "Slavery and Adoration : Early Incan Coca Culture."Cocaine. 1st. 2006.
Walters, John. "Marijuana Is Harmful." Drug Abuse Opposing View Points. 2005.

-Emily Ketchum 2008