History of Drugs - Timeline

1911: The New York Times claimed that cocaine was a direct link to prostitution in young girls

1912: The FDA announced it was against caffeine, because it was believed to be poison

1900: James R Daly announced heroin is not addictive

1903: Ingredients in coca-cola were changed to replace the cocaine found in the product

1914: Harrison Narcotic Act outlawed cocaine in the US

1924: The 1924 ban on heroin did basically nothing to stop avid users

1932: During this year there were 45,000 jail sentences given for illegal alcohol usage

1937: The Marijuana Tax Act is passed by congress

1939: Nazi scientists in Germany studied the smoking of tobacco linked with lung cancer

1950: Because of their service for the country, WWII soldiers are no longer denied access to dangerous drugs

1950: The American Medical Association released a study with evidence to confirm a link with smoking and lung cancer

1979: Drug usage peaked with 1 in 10 americans using drugs on a regular basis. This is when jail sentences began to increase.

1960: Vietnam soldiers were also not denied access to illegal drugs.

2006: It was determined that the US has 2.5 million chronic users

2005: Federal laws that restrict sales of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are put in place

2017: Knowledge of drug usage has increased, but there's still more to learn in the future.

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From the 40's to the 60's, cocaine usage declined due to the Harrison Narcotic Act

During the 60's drug addiction increased because it helped "treat" depression, anxiety, and boredom

During the 80's people began associating needle usage with HIV

During the early 2000's reports of overdose and death of prescription drugs began to rise sharply