Pleasure and Panic: New Essays on the History of Alcohol and Drugs

Offers a range of perspectives on the debate about liberalizing drug and alcohol laws.

Booze, dope, smokes, and weed. Mind-altering, mood-changing substances have been part of human society for millennia. The history of drugs and alcohol is infused with what we understand as their proper and improper use. Pleasure and Panic reveals how cultural fears and social, political, and economic disparities have always been deeply embedded in attitudes about drugs and alcohol. Long before John Lennon testified at Canada's Le Dain Commission in favor of marijuana decriminalization, social movements existed to challenge the view that consumption of mind-altering substances, especially by young people, posed a danger to society. The contributors to this collection explore how drugs and alcohol intersect with diverse histories, including gender, medicine, popular culture, and business.