Lt Colonel Gerald Smyth Posted 13 October , 2012 Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Famous story that cocaine was legal in Britain until 1915, that you could buy it in Harrods and that the army preferred soldiers to use it because unlike alcohol it kept them awake and alert and didn't lead to undisciplined behaviour. How much truth is there to all this? Were you allowed to use it? Why did they ban it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 13 October , 2012 Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Cocaine, Heroin and Opium all available legally at the beginning of WW1. Was banned because the Army didn't prefer to use it and feared that it could lead to indiscipline etc. Covered in many threads - try a search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roel22 Posted 13 October , 2012 Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Much of it in WWI came from the Dutch cocaïne factory in Amsterdam ("De Nederlandsche Cocaïne Fabriek). A very respectable (and rich!) firm, which also produced heroïn. Different times... Roel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 13 October , 2012 Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Much of it in WWI came from the Dutch cocaïne factory in Amsterdam ("De Nederlandsche Cocaïne Fabriek). A very respectable (and rich!) firm, which also produced heroïn. Different times... Roel This has been discussed before and as I remember is based on a particular book which is not necessarily very correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 15 October , 2012 Admin Share Posted 15 October , 2012 Cociane was used as a vasoconstrictor on the ENT ward I worked on about 29 years ago, so assume it had a medical use in the Great war too. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 16 October , 2012 Share Posted 16 October , 2012 It was also used in dentistry as a local anaesthetic about fifty years ago, although even then it might have been replaced by one of the modern non-addictive variants, whilst still being called by the old name. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roel22 Posted 16 October , 2012 Share Posted 16 October , 2012 Without trying to redo an older thread here's an interview (in English) about the Dutch Cocaine Factory and its role in WWI (world market leader in the business during those years). Roel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 17 October , 2012 Share Posted 17 October , 2012 Famous story that cocaine was legal in Britain until 1915, that you could buy it in Harrods and that the army preferred soldiers to use it because unlike alcohol it kept them awake and alert and didn't lead to undisciplined behaviour. How much truth is there to all this? Were you allowed to use it? Why did they ban it? OH hey, what an interesting thread, I was wondering when someone was going to have the courage to broach this one!! . well I have something of an interest in the history of drugs , well opium, and I read that Canadian soldiers were high tailing it to London during the war because it was on sale in London, well you could buy in openly then. Now, I am not casting aspertions on those whose went through the Great War, but think of this, if those who served in Vietnam took libearal amounts of cannabis to cope with that, well , sometimes you just need a little something ??. drug use goes back over three thousand years. As they say, there is nowt so queer as folk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now