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Lecture: "Drug Habit: The Association of the Word 'Drug' with Abuse and American History" by John Parascandola (DEA Museum, Arlington, Virginia: 26 February 2002)



Forwarded to HISTNEUR-L from CADUCEUS-L.  --RJ

--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 15:47:46 -0500
From: "Behles, Rich" [rbehles@hshsl.umaryland.edu]
Subject: Talk on Drug Habit through History
To: caduceus-l@list.umaryland.edu

*** APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING***

"Drug Habit: The Association of the Word "Drug" with Abuse and American 
History." A lecture presented by Dr. John Parascandola, Public Health 
Service Historian, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

When we speak of an individual today as a "drug user" or as "taking drugs", 
the first image that comes to mind for most people is illegal drug use. We 
are not likely to think of someone taking medication for an illness. Yet the 
word "drug" was not always so closely linked in the public mind with 
substance abuse. This lecture will consider the evolution of the word "drug" 
from a term limited basically to a therapeutic context to one associated 
with recreational use and abuse, a development that took place in the United 
States in the early 20th century. The talk will also discuss the 
unsuccessful efforts by American pharmacists in the 1920s to combat this 
trend.

The event will take place on Wednesday, FEBRUARY 26th, 2003, at 12 Noon, at 
the DEA Museum, Arlington, VA. Attendance is free of charge and reservations 
are not required. While there, please don't forget to visit the two 
exhibitions currently on view at the Museum: "Target America: Traffickers, 
Terrorists & You", and "Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History".

DEA Museum
700 Army Navy Drive
Arlington, VA 22202
Tel. 202-307-3463
http://www.deamuseum.org

Directions: The Museum is located directly across the street from the 
Pentagon City Mall at the corner of Army Navy Drive and Hayes Street. The 
Museum is also easily accessible from the Pentagon City Metro Station (Blue 
and Yellow Lines), one block south of the Museum on Hayes Street. Street 
parking in the area is limited. Paid parking is available at the Pentagon 
City Mall parking garage across the street.

--- End Forwarded Message ---

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