Drugs in America A Documentary History

 When the hyperdermic needle was introduced people began injecting morphine more
often and not thinking about the possibility of becoming addicted
o Both patients and doctors had their own syringes
 As the syringe got more popular users could get a set of the needles
o Doctors believed needle delivery was safer because less of the drug was needed
to have the same pain relieving effect
Drugs and Drug Policy in America
 Pure Food and Drug Act
o 1906
o effort to place federal controls on patent medicines containing opiates and
cocaine
o required manufacturers over over the counter patent medicines to label
products and disclose amount of drugs contained in them
o hoped to reduce the use of such medicines
o redirected powdered cocaine away from medicine manufacturers to direct ot
consumers
 cocaine itself wasn’t subject to federal regulations
 therefore the trend switched from low-potency cocaine contained in
medicines to pure cocaine
 opium smoking act of 1909 was amended in 1914 to prohibit the importation of opium
of any form
 1914 federal tax was placed on smoking opium
o while it was illegal to import domestic manufacturing was still allowed but
additionally taxed to disseude manufacturers
 the constitution limits federal power in the states and ocnern over state’s rights led to
federal laws focusing on international controls like imports and exports, taxation, and
interstate transfer
o Harrison Act
 Made physicians wary of prescribing drugs
 Increased surveillance and prosecution of doctors and
pharmacists
 Required doctors and druggists to maintain records of drug
prescriptions
 Shifted supply from legal to illegal drug sources
 Shortcomings
 Didn’t address smuggling and it increased significantly
 Didn’t apply to preparations with less that 2 grains of opium, 1
quarter grain or less of morphine, 1/8 or less of heroin,
o People could continue to use and form habits with these
drugs
 Effects
 Fake drugs began circling to desperate addicts
 Many people saught treatmen
o 90% who applied did so because they were having
difficulty getting the drug
o most of these cases relapsed
o