From Demon to Ally - How Mythology Has, and May Yet, Alter National Drug Policy

Abstract

Through recorded history those who were addicted to opiates were considered, at worst, unfortunate victims of a minor vice; they were much less likely to engage in criminal acts or raucous behavior than were alcoholics. However, at the turn of the last century concern over the high rate of addiction in the United States persuaded some individuals that federal laws were necessary if opiate dependence was to be controlled. Because opiate use, particularly opium smoking had become a popular practice among the demimonde, many of whom found their way into jails for reasons unrelated to their drug use, an erroneous view emerged, that it was the opiate that caused the criminality. This perception was by no means pervasive and was rejected by many authorities. Nevertheless, well meaning individuals who needed ammunition for their argument that a federal narcotic law was necessary, developed a campaign of propaganda in which the supposedly dire consequences of addiction were so vastly exaggerated that a mythology was developed which, in effect, demonized opiates, addicts and even doctors. So successful was their campaign, that not only was a rigid law passed, but the demonic perception of addiction came to be accepted as reality, particularly because the new law itself criminalized addiction. As the whole system of narcotic enforcement gradually came into disrepute through the 1950s and 1960s and as new patterns of drug dependence emerged a new mythology began to develop, one that sanctifies drug use and users, at least of certain types. As large proportions of our population came to engage in some form of illegal drug use this new mythology has gained adherents. This mythology may, like others in the past, influence and be used to justify changes in public policy and law.