Essay on Drug Use in the 1960s

I am certain in my belief that most students who have attended any university in the US have in one way or another been around drugs. However, whether or not they partook in them is debatable. They have more than likely made a decision: to do the drug, or not to do the drug. If they are like me, they did not do the drug, but continued to socialize with those that did partake. If they are not like me, they may have taken the drug and continued to socialize with those they are around. Drugs have become a large part of college culture, and more ultimately, human culture. The reasons vary as much as the reasons why people personally choose to partake in the drug of their choice. Peter De Marneffe states in his article “Decriminalize, Don’t Legalize”, that “people use drugs because they enjoy them; they find them fun and relaxing. If it is easier, safer, and less expensive to do something fun and relaxing, more people will do it and do it more often” (De Marneffe, 200). Currently, the US is dealing with drug prohibition (War on Drugs) which has become a topic of hefty discussion. As David Boaz states in his article “Drug-Free America or Free America?”, political entities have attempted to stop the use of various drugs since drugs were first used. He goes on to say the most familiar example to the American people is the prohibition of alcohol (Boaz, 194). In this position paper, I will do the following: I will define

The Author of "The Other Wes Moore" is a man by the name of Wes Moore. " The Other Wes Moore" takes place during the 1980s and is about the stories of two different people who were born in the same year, grew up in similar conditions, and both have the name "Wes Moore" but have two entirely different fates. One is a military veteran who graduated from Rhodes while the other is serving a life sentence in prison. During the 1980s President Jimmy Carter passed a law that cut off the education budget un-enabling many people to finish their collage degrees.

Just the effect sex had on their chance to find their new sexuality during the beat generation, the idea of drug usage to expand the brain became popular. Drugs have been around for many centuries, from the early hallucinations to the heavily chemical based drugs becoming popular now and each one had a specific effect on the brain. These drugs have been and will always be a part of society; no matter how much the government regulates them. Drugs became very popular during this period with all of the experiments upcoming drugs

Before we thought of the question, we recalled why we chose the topic and wondered why drugs would be an important topic in Main South. In the end, we realized we wanted to know how drugs became important, not just why. To not only learn about the negative drug effects on the many adults located in Main South, but also the youth, since we were included within that group too.

During the early 1970s, drug use was very popular and seen as “not harmful to your health”. This changed as more people began

The drug use was one of the hippie’s activities. Hippie movement used drugs importantly. They believed that it could help them feel happy and relax. It seems users could be inside their dreams, and created whatever they wanted. The drug use was a part of creation of arts, music or painting. Hippies expressed all emotions and feelings through the drugs such as LSD and marijuana. Moreover, the danger of drug was the most concern in the United States at that time. Exactly, most of Americans might not be accepted. Hippies did not pay attention of the effect with the body following from the usage. They thought this society was the freedom of life. Furthermore, they wanted to find the new way to be out or to escape from the real world. So the drugs were the best answer to this issue. As a result, the society falls down as negatively. The addict of drug, mostly spread around the United States. It was difficulty stopping the drug use. Additionally, it changed not only people’s behavior but also the point of view. They looked the drug differently. Also, the feeling of freedom and relieved stress were used to be the reason that they wanted to have drugs in the Hippie’s community

Much like today 's war on drugs, the uprise of drug users in the seventies sparked much controversy in both normal American lives as well as those of the celebrity status. Countless studies of the time analyze class, age, gender, location and many other factors to try to determine a trend in drug abusers. In one article, two spectrums of drug abusers were identified. One spectrum was of young heroin users who have shown to statistically engage in illegal endeavors while the other spectrum is that of middle-aged southern whites (Ball, 1965). Drug addiction has also coincided with changes in society; at this time technology had recently

Drugs have been influencing the ideas, culture, and music of America for ages. Illicit narcotics have left the Union in a state of immense debt. Anti-drug policies have been dumping billions upon billions of dollars in prevention, punishment, and rehabilitation. From the roaring twenties, to the prohibition, drugs have always been fought (Bailey). Most times, the drugs start off as medicines and end up being harmful (Morris). Perhaps, the most prominent and influential eras of drug use in America are the two decades of the 60’s and twenty years later, the 80’s. It may very well be that these two decades molded America into what it is now.

The recreational drug use became fairly common in the United States during the late 1960s. As a result, many people went into the hospitals

Everywhere at all times. Especially reefer, You could smell it on every other breath of air. People grew drugs in their home gardens and smoked it like cigarettes. Page 57.

Marwick believes that drugs are now a prevalent issue in every society because drug abuse first started becoming apparent in the 1960s (Marwick 496). LSD was used as the “personal key to cosmic consciousness and universal unity” while marijuana was used to “cement the circle of friendly love” (Mawrick 482). The use of drugs was very common within the hippie population. At Woodstock it was especially prevalent because of Acid Test gatherings that introduced LSD to the community. These Acid Tests were a “harbinger for the making of a counterculture”

“Drugs, whether used to escaper the world, alleviate anxiety, destroy oneself, have fun or seek spiritual or religious experience were all part of the Hippie culture”(Shapiro). Drugs that hippies were using at the time were highly addicting, many people who had just began the practices of the counterculture would first begin with drug use. “Drugs were additionally used to rapidly socialize and introduce a newcomer into a Hippie group at a loco and as gifts for the same purpose. Drugs are also used as a rite of passage, because of their ability to relax the newcomer and their host, or to as a novice enter the mind cracking psychedelic Hippie world” (Shapiro). The curiosity of drug use in America led to many young people experimenting with such drugs that had become widely available during the 1960s, led to a huge wave of followers that became associated with the hippie counterculture due to their recreational drug

Variety of social concerns and beliefs took place in the 1960’s hippie counter culture movement. A primary principle that mostly all hippies followed was that to be happy and to disregard of what others thought they should do. A motto and attitude that hippies had was “if it feels good, do it” this would often lead to no concern for the consequences of their actions. Drugs where integrated into their culture as a mean to explore other states of consciousness. However, they would only do marijuana and LSD, but they avoided analgesic drugs such as heroin and amphetamines since they consider them harmful and addictive. During the hippie counter culture movement of the 1960’s in attempt to go against mainstream values youth changes and turned to mindlessness actions.

Drug use often begins in early teenage years and carries into twenties, and there has been an increase in drug use among people in their 50s and 60s (“DrugFacts,” 2015).

The rise of illegal drug use that began in the 1960s was accompanied by the growing opinion that drug use should be legalized. This feeling remained strong though the middle of the 1970s when the existing research on drugs such as marijuana and cocaine did not clearly point to health hazards. Those who favored legalization thought that certain drugs could be used responsibly by most people who would otherwise be law-abiding or even model citizens. In other words, they believed most drug use to be a victimless crime.