Thank you, Ivo. Unfortunately it will not download successfully, but I appreciate your tip,

There are many social and ethical issues surrounding the use and abuse of drugs. These issues are made complex particularly because of conflicting values concerning drug use within modern societies. Values may be influenced by multiple factors including social, religious, and personal views. Within a single society, values and opinions can diverge substantially, resulting in conflicts over various issues involving drug abuse.

Since the 1960s, drug abuse has occupied a significant place in the public consciousness. This heightened awareness of drugs and their consequences has been influenced largely by campaigns and programs oriented toward educating the public about the dangers of drug abuse and about how individuals and societies can overcome drug-related problems. One of the most hotly contested issues concerning contemporary drug abuse centres on whether currently illicit drugs should be legalized. Another major area of concern involves the abuse of drugs in sports, which can send conflicting messages to young generations whose idols are professional athletes.

The narcotic and sleep-producing qualities of the poppy have been known to humankind throughout recorded history. Sumerian records from ancient Mesopotamia (5000 to 4000 bce) refer to the poppy, and medicinal reference to opium is contained in Assyrian medical tablets. Homer’s writings indicate Greek usage of the substance at least by 900 bce. Hippocrates (c. 400 bce) made extensive use of medicinal herbs including opium. The Romans probably learned of opium during their conquest of the eastern Mediterranean. Galen (130–200 ce) was an enthusiastic advocate of the virtues of opium, and his books became the supreme authority on the subject for hundreds of years. The art of medicinals was preserved by the Islamic civilization following the decline of the Roman Empire. Opium was introduced by the Arabs to Persia, China, and India. Paracelsus (1493–1541), professor at the University of Basel, introduced laudanum, a tincture of opium. Le Mort, a professor of chemistry at the University of Leyden (1702–18), discovered paregoric, useful for the control of diarrhea, by combining camphor with tincture of opium.

There is no adequate comprehensive history of the addictive aspects of opium use in spite of the fact that it has been known since antiquity. Because there were few alternative therapeutics or painkillers until the 19th century, opium was somewhat of a medical panacea. Thus, although at least one account, in 1701 by a London physician named Jones, spoke of an excessive use of opium, there appears to have been no real history of concern until recent times, and opiates were easily available in the West in the 19th century—for instance, in a variety of patent medicines. Physicians prescribed them freely, they were easy to obtain without prescription, and they were used by all social classes. At one time the extensive use of these medicines for various gynecological difficulties probably accounted for high addiction rates among women (three times the rate among men). The invention of the hypodermic needle in the mid-19th century and its subsequent use to administer opiates during wartime produced large numbers of addicted soldiers (about 400,000 during the U.S. Civil War alone); it was thought mistakenly that if opiates were administered by vein, no hunger or addiction would develop, since the narcotic did not reach the stomach.

Toward the end of the 19th century, various “undesirables” such as gamblers and prostitutes began to be associated with the use of opiates, and narcotics became identified more with the so-called criminal element than with medical therapy. By the turn of the 20th century, narcotic use had become a worldwide problem, and various national and international regulatory bodies sought to control opium traffic in China and Southeast Asia. In the 20th century, narcotic use was largely associated with metropolitan slums, principally among the poor and culturally deprived. Narcotic use eventually spread to middle-class youth.

For more details please visit this link :

https://www.britannica.com/topic/drug-use/Social-and-ethical-issues-of-drug-abuse

I recommend Dr. Ivo carneiro de sousa suggestions, as stated that history was available at encyclopaedia..

Thank you for the responses: unfortunately, the particular time period I'm interested in - the 1950s and 1960s - is not well covered it seems.

Chemie Gruenthal, under the guise of the Nazi's, created Thalidomide and tested it on many countries but all I know about are Westernized nations, except for Japan. Lawsuits still exist and probably will for another few years. Dr. Trent Stephens wrote an interesting book called Dark Remedy. He's a fascinating man and one of the most knowledgeable on this subject that I know of. Perhaps he can provide some more accurate, historical data on this subject.

Thank you, Susan. I have also done some work on thalidomide in South Africa: see co-publication with Susanne Klausen here on RG, and I have another in the pipeline (with a different co-author) which is a close investigation into Southern African markets. I know 'Dark Remedy' well. Trent Stephens' work is not based on primary sources outside developed economies so unfortunately can't assist me. I have another article in the pipeline about sedatives and tranquilizers more broadly in Southern Africa, 1930s to 1960s. I shall post the links to them when I can.

Thank you. I would be very interested in reading more of your research and will read the other paper now. I truly admire your work.

Thanks again,

~Susan