The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of NarcoticsSpanning five centuries and several continents in a sweeping portrait of addiction, The Pursuit of Oblivion traces the history of the use and abuse of narcotics, revealing their subtle transformation from untested medicines to sources of idle pleasure and, relatively recently, to illegal substances. Richard Davenport-Hines, an eminent, prize-winning historian, uncovers the centrality of drug abuse in our modern industrial society, from the drug habits of Charles Dickens and John F. Kennedy to today's $400 billion annual worldwide trade in illicit drugs (the same volume as the oil industry). A vivid portrayal of the people and events that have shaped the history of narcotics, The Pursuit of Oblivion reveals that, contrary to the assumption underlying current drug policies, our need to escape reality and our body's need for physical pleasure are both ineradicable aspects of our humanity, unchangeable by government initiative. |
From inside the book
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... importance in these phases . Here are some facts to show what eighty years of prohibition have achieved : • The United Nations Drug Control Program reported in 1997 that 141 million people had used cannabis in the previous year ( about ...
... importance in these phases . Here are some facts to show what eighty years of prohibition have achieved : • The United Nations Drug Control Program reported in 1997 that 141 million people had used cannabis in the previous year ( about ...
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Contents
Early History | 21 |
Opium during the Enlightenment | 43 |
The Patent Age of New Inventions | 61 |
Nerves Needles and Victorian Doctors | 99 |
Chemistry | 131 |
Degeneration | 152 |
The Dawn of Prohibition | 195 |
Lawbreaking | 226 |
The First Drugs Czar | 344 |
British Drug Scenes | 368 |
Presidential Drugs Wars | 420 |
So Passe | 475 |
Acknowledgements | 497 |
Notes | 499 |
Bibliographic Note | 549 |
553 | |
Other editions - View all
The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Social History of Drugs Richard Peter Treadwell Davenport-Hines No preview available - 2004 |
The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Social History of Drugs Richard Davenport-Hines No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
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