Hardback | |
January 11, 2000 | |
9780801862304 | |
English | |
240 | |
9 | |
2 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
0.77 Inches (US) | |
.9375 Pounds (US) | |
$53.00 USD, £39.00 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Paperback / softback | |
August 2, 2002 | |
9780801871160 | |
English | |
240 | |
9 | |
2 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
0.52 Inches (US) | |
.85 Pounds (US) | |
$32.00 USD, £23.50 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Cocaine
From Medical Marvel to Modern Menace in the United States, 1884-1920
Winner of the Addiction Book Award from the Society for the Study of Addiction
In 1884 American physicians discovered the anesthetic value of cocaine, and over the next three decades this substance derived from the coca plant became so popular that it became, ironically, a public health problem. Demand exceeded supply; abuse proliferated. The black market produced a legendary underground of "cocaine fiends." As attempts at regulation failed, Congress in 1914 banned cocaine outright, and America launched its longstanding war against now-illegal drugs.
Challenging "traditional thinking about both the 'rise' and 'fall' of drug problems" (which makes legal prohibition the pivotal point in the story), Spillane examines phenomena that have eluded earlier students of drug history. He explores the role of American business in fostering consumer interest in cocaine during the years when no law proscribed its use, the ways in which authorities and social agents tried nonetheless to establish informal controls on the substance, and the mixed results they achieved.
In asking how this pain-allaying drug became recognizably dangerous, how reformers tried to ameliorate its social effects, and how an underground of cocaine abusers developed even before regulation of the drug industry as a whole, Spillane discovers contingency, complication, and mixed motives. Arguing that the underground drug culture had origins other than in federal prohibition can tell us as we face questions about drug policy today.
About the Author
Joseph F. Spillane is an associate professor of criminology and history at the University of Florida.
Reviews
"Joseph F. Spillane has written an immaculate monograph on the drug's early history in the United States of America. His use of archives and diverse other sources means that he writes with unparalleled authority."
"A new, detailed history, carefully crafted, and with reader-friendly summaries."
"This is a good piece of work, combining cogent ideas with a rich historical narrative. It is an important book for anyone interested in the complicated, interesting history of American drug use and control."
"Spillane's account... is nuanced, deeply researched, and highly original."
"This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the country's current 'War on Drugs.'"
"A fascinating, in-depth snapshot of 40 years in the early history of cocaine in the U.S."
"Spillane provides an excellent account. A deeply impressive social history."
"This book provides a remarkably well-researched account... an outstanding contribution to drugs history."
"A new, detailed history, carefully crafted and with reader-friendly summaries."
Johns Hopkins University Press | |
Studies in Industry and Society | |
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From 17 | |
Hardback | |
January 11, 2000 | |
9780801862304 | |
English | |
240 | |
9 | |
2 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
0.77 Inches (US) | |
.9375 Pounds (US) | |
$53.00 USD, £39.00 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Paperback / softback | |
August 2, 2002 | |
9780801871160 | |
English | |
240 | |
9 | |
2 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
0.52 Inches (US) | |
.85 Pounds (US) | |
$32.00 USD, £23.50 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Other Titles by Joseph F. Spillane
Coxsackie
Other Titles from Studies in Industry and Society
Imagining Consumers
Ships for the Seven Seas
Stage to Studio
Other Titles in HISTORY / United States / 19th Century
The Assault on Elisha Green
Brandeis And America
Chicago's White City of 1893
Other Titles in History of the Americas
The Silent Shore
Brazil in the Global Nuclear Order, 1945–2018
FDR in American Memory