The history of non-medical drug consumption is ancient and, just as alcohol has a recognised social place in Western culture, so many other drugs have been accepted in different societies. Aldous Huxley, renowned for experimenting with mescaline and other hallucinogenic drugs, writes in ‘The Doors of Perception: Heaven and Hell’: “When, for whatever reason, men and women fail to transcend themselves by means of worship, good works and spiritual exercise, they are apt to resort to religion’s chemical surrogates”. (Huxley, A., 1977)
People everywhere and throughout history, for whatever reason, have deliberately disrupted their consciousness. There is some actual evidence of cannabis crops from as far back as 10,000BC and Egyptians were making wine and beer around 4000BC (New Scientist, 2006). Opiates, however, currently generate great concern in society due to the physical, psychological and social harm they can cause. The purpose of this essay is to define and……
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