Home > Recreational drug use

1 History

The recreational use of drugs has been popular throughout human history.

The oldest and most widespread use has been the imbibition of alcohol. Beer and wine were produced in Persia and in the Mediterranean before recorded history. Nicotine, the psychoactive constituent of tobacco, was first used by Europeans in the sixteenth century, but was used ritually in the Americas centuries prior. Despite relatively recent proscription as an illegal drug in much of the world, cannabis retains its historical popularity.

Recreational use of opium (extracted from the immature fruits of a species of poppy) was once common in Asia, and from there spread to the West. Its use peaked in the nineteenth century, when the British Empire and other Western powers used military power to force ChinaThis article is on the geographic and cultural entity. For other meanings, see China (disambiguation). China ( Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , Hanyu Pinyin: Zhongguo, Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo) is a country in continental East Asia with some oute to legalize its import from India and other British colonies (see Opium WarsThere were two Opium Wars between Britain and China, in the second of which France also participated alongside Britain: The growth of the opium trade (1650-1773) The Qing dynasty of China entered into a long decay beginning in the 1700's, beset by increas). CocaineCocaine is a crystalline alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant, creating a euphoric sense of happiness and hyperthermia. Though most often used recreational and heroinHeroin or diamorphine ( INN) (colloquially referred to as junk, babania, horse, brown, smack, black tar, big H, lady H, dope, skag, juice, etc is an alkaloid opioid. Heroin is the 3,6- diacetyl derivative of morphine (hence diacetylmorphine and is synthes were sold as patent medicines in the 19thAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended and early 20th19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre centuries, and marketed as treatments for a wide variety of ailments.

Many other substances were once commonly used as recreational drugs, but fell from favor for various reasons. IslamCairo Egypt Islm (In Arabic: , "submission (to God)"; In Persian and Urdu: ) is a monotheistic faith and the world's second-largest religion. Followers of Islam, known as Muslims believe that God (or, in Arabic, Allh revealed His Will to Muhammad (c. forbids the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and many religions discourage the recreational use of drugs. In the 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre some Western countries, notably the United States, have criminalized the use of many recreational drugs, and used diplomatic, economic and military pressure on other countries to do the same. Thus, for example, the Japanese hemp plant — once widely grown as a source of textile fiber — was wiped out during the American occupation after World War II, and today only survives in a handful of strictly controlled bio-conservation plots.