Forces of HabitDrugs and the Making of the

Modern World

David T. Courtwright

By Libby Dimenstein

The Psychoactive Revolution

The distribution of drugs and the spread of drug-use

The economy of drugsMedical vs. recreational

Advertising and mass-production

Government and drugsTaxation vs. prohibition

Smuggling and illicit behavior

Power struggles

Psychoactive Substances

The Big ThreeAlcohol

Wine, beer, and spirits

TobaccoCaffeine

Coffee, tea, chocolate, and soft drinks

The Little Three

OpiumMorphine

CannabisGanja and Marijuana

CocaCocaine

The Big Three- Alcohol

AlcoholWine

Around since ca. 6000 BCE near the Black and Caspian seas

Popular in the Mediterranean and Christian Europe

SpiritsDistilling techniques made alcohol cheap and preserved food

The Big Three- Tobacco

TobaccoKnown to Europeans when Columbus came to America in 1492

Grown all over the world

Expanding production and consumption in developing countries

The Big Three- CaffeineMost widely used drug

Coffee- First used near Ethiopia, but made popular by Europe

Tea- Grown in Asia, Africa, and South America, but most popular in Europe

Chocolate- First used in the Americas and then discovered by Spanish. Became popular in 19th century Europe

Soft drinks- Derived from West African Kola nut and made popular in the 19th century

The Little Three- OpiumComes from opium poppy, most likely originating in Central Europe and spreading to the Mediterranean and Asia

First used to treat pain, anxiety, and diarrheal illnesses in cities

Fueled huge addiction problem in China

Its alkaloid, morphine, relieved pain, and its spread grew as hypodermic medication’s did

The Little Three- Cannabis

First found in Central Asia

Indians smoked and ate Ganja, or the tops of female cannabis plants

Cannabis spread to Africa, Europe, and then finally to the USA by Mexican workers

Marijuana, unlike Ganja, had no medicinal purpose

The Little Three- Coca

Coca was first used in the Andes to combat hunger and tiredness

Mass consumption was at first not possible because of difficult transportation

Cocaine, the coca alkaloid, was easier to transport

Regional Drugs- Why aren’t they as popular?

The kava beverage, betel, and hallucinogens were never as widely used as other drugs. Why?

Initial aversion

Cosmetic defects

Unwanted side effects

Shipping convenience

Cost

Religious beliefs

Medicinal Use

Most drugs became popular through medicinal use

Tobacco was used against the Plague

Wine was used against fever and fatigue

Hard liquor renewed strength

The big medical dilemma- treat the patient and receive benefits vs. no benefits and no chance of addiction

Addiction and Demand

Exposure is necessary, but does not guarantee addiction

As addiction continues, tolerance grows

To get the initial effect, users must consume more

There is always a demand for drugs

Advertisement and Sales

Each drug is essentially the same material

Sellers must distinguish themselves

Sellers can:Advertise

Make better products

Cut costs

Creating new markets

Buck Duke created a cigarette empire

Huge advertising

New markets

Tailored advertising

Fuel for Workers

Drugs act as incentives for workers and create dependency

Opium kept traveling Chinese workers in debt

Colombians smoked cannabis to survive their work

Tobacco calmed nerves in the Civil War

Native Americans traded all they had for liquor

Drug Taxation

Legal drugs can bring in huge amounts of money for governments

Import and export taxes

State monopolies

Tax dependencyGovernments wish to stop the use of dangerous drugs, but cannot afford to lose the tax money

Attempted alcohol prohibition in India

High and low taxesIf taxes are too high, smuggling will occur

Tea and tobacco smuggling in Britain

If taxes are too low, unregulated use of drugs will occur

Prohibition

Why prohibition?Users can hurt themselves and those around themDrives up taxes for societyAgainst religionAssociation of a drug with a disliked groupEndangers future of society

Large Effects

Rum and sugar fueled the Atlantic slave trade

Coffee sped up the building of the railroad

Tobacco provided money for the American Revolution

Works Citedhttp://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/new-study-drug-combos-can-be/

http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/sydneylife/2009/08/

http://www.discountcigarettesonline.org/

http://www.goodejuice.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=173

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_small_cup_of_coffee.JPG

http://www.lookwe.com/entouziyaInfo.asp?id=1

http://toxicopoeia.com/?get=plants&type=medicinal&plant=Papaver%20Somniferum

http://www.drug-facts.org/Morphine_Facts.htm

http://www.drug-rehabs.org/cocaine-drug-pictures.php

http://www.seylec.com/id29.html

http://destrantalk.blogspot.com/2010/09/transgender-health-brought-to-you-by.html

http://venturebeat.com/2010/11/24/sproxil-takes-on-africas-drug-counterfeiters/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joan_thewlis/2802351505/

http://www.healthhype.com/tag/tobacco

http://www.thegreenhead.com/2009/01/liquor-tasting-shot-glasses.php

http://www.britishbattles.com/american-revolution.htm

http://antibioticsandalcohol.com/

Courtwright, David T. Forces of Habit. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001.