History of Drugs

Opium

Apr 11, 1800

1800's
Commercial use: Selling it
Medicinal use: Used for smoking and making tea in East India and Asia.
Recreational use: "mainly used to aid masculinity, strengthen sperm and regain vigor"

Cocaine

Apr 11, 1855

Commercial use: stimulant and suppressant
Medicinal use: Used in powder form to reduce swelling of wounds and to strenghten broken bones
Recreational use: increase alertness, feelings of well-being

DDT

Apr 11, 1874

Commercial use: used to kill animals
Medicinal use: disease vector control
Recreational use:endocrine disruptor

Heroin

Apr 11, 1875

Commercial use: Treatment for acuate pain
Medicinal use: prescribed as a strong analgesic
Recreational use:used as a recreational drug for the transcendent relaxation and intense euphoria it induces.

Radium

Dec 21, 1898

Commercial use: Before it was discovered of creating health hazards, Radium was once used in such products such as toothpaste, hair creams, and some food products
Medicinal use: Radial clhoride was used in medicine to help with cancer treatments
Recreational use: The Rutherford experiment used radium as an alpha source to probe the atomic structure of gold.

Camphor

Apr 11, 1900

19th century
commercial use:produces a feeling of cooling similar to that of menthol
medicinal use:absorbed through the skin
recreational use: treat sprains, swellings, and inflammation

Lead

Apr 9, 1929

Metallic lead beads dating back to 6400 BCE.