By the end of the nineteenth century, “addiction cures” were everywhere. Many people had become addicts at the hand of their own doctors, but The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 was poised to reclassify this hapless population as criminals. During this time, social and political activists called Muckrakers galvanized to expose the fraudulent practices of patent medicine companies. Drug historian and The Age of Addiction author Dr. David Courtwright is this week’s expert.
This episode is sponsored by True Recovery.
It is widely believed that the Civil War created a legion of opium addicts, but some experts think otherwise. Drug historian and The Age of Addiction author, Dr. David Courtwright, joins us this week to discuss this period in history, as well as the first incident of iatrogenic addiction (addiction caused by physicians) in the United States, and the widespread use of patent medicines that was taking the nation by storm.
This episode is sponsored by True Recovery.
Learn which of America’s founding fathers used opium derivatives, what caused the Chinese Opium Wars and how a young German chemist became the first person to isolate the chemical that would eventually be known as morphine. Expert Kenaz Filan provides additional historical insight.
This episode is sponsored by True Recovery.