Drug Facts
Marijuana’s Evolution in the U.S.
American sailors and Mexican farm laborers introduced marijuana in the U.S. in the early 1900s. Marijuana later spread to the African-American jazz scene in the 1940s and 50s, then among the beatniks in the 1950s, and eventually to American universities...
Crack Cocaine Overview
Cocaine’s cheaper smokable version of crack cocaine left an even larger indelible mark on America’s inner cities like no other drug has. Crack cocaine is essentially the heated oil-free-base form of cocaine (which can also be smoked) converted back into...
Cocaine Effects
Similar to amphetamines, cocaine induces heightened alertness, elation, self-confidence and feelings of overall happiness. These euphoric effects are accompanied by increases in blood pressure and heart rate, but also result in a loss of appetite and insomnia. The high produced...
Today’s Heroin Crisis
As the Vietnam War ended and the U.S. sought to limit supply from the main source country for heroin at the time, Turkey, the drug’s use subsided and was confined to poor urban areas for the remainder of the 1970s,...
Some Early Lessons with Easy Access and Acceptance
When the Chinese were using opium in small doses at the beginning of the 19th century, it was viewed as a drug to treat minor ailments like dysentery and as a novelty for a small percentage of the elite. No...
Do It Yourself Cultivation
The primary factors allowing for easy cultivation of marijuana by its consumers and reducing the distance between producer and user are the relative simplicity in growing it and that its bulkiness raises smuggling costs. For small-scale production, all that is...