End The War On Drugs - Chapter 2

A Brief History

EDITOR’S NOTE: A few years ago, I penned a first draft of a short book, “End The War On Drugs” I offer an updated version, in serial form, here on Substack, for my paid subscribers. I will publish a chapter each week.

CHAPTER 1: A Catastrophic Failure

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Virtually the entirety of human history includes the use of drugs of some sort.  Some credit the invention of beer as the starting point of civilization, theorizing that nomadic tribes stopped roaming in order to establish farms to grow the grain needed to brew.  Beer’s history goes back nearly 6000 years, and evidence of wine production goes back two thousand years further.

Yes, the ethanol in beer is a “drug.” A naturally occurring one that can also be created by humans.

Cannabis, tobacco, opium, coca, peyote, caffeine, psychoactive mushrooms and other naturally occurring substances have also been used by humans for hundreds or thousands of years.  It is only in the last century and a half that governments have sought to restrict or prohibit the use of some of these substances, and the desire to prohibit their use has stemmed as often from bigotry and racism or religious puritanism as from some purportedly “noble” paternalistic protection of the weak.