The two authors bring out the effect of drugs on the society; the authors describe a society which was very positive at the initial introduction of the different drugs. At this time little was known about the aftermath drugs.
Iain Gately in his work tells a narrative of a plant that holds a special place in the history of humanity. The plant is presented to the world as a gift, this is evident on the cover page of his book “ a culture history of how an exotic plant seduced civilization.” the crop is the main driving force behind colonization in the world. The financial benefits from the plants drove the Dutch to establish the American colonies that lead to the African slave trade to provide labor for the cultivation of the crop.
The interests of the Dutch financial empire lead to the spread of the crop across America and many other continents. later the income from the crop financed the many revolutionary wars fought in America and many other colonies. The author explores the role the crop has had in the world. Its influence cuts from the royal residence of the Ottoman empires to the Hollywood films.
The plant presented to the world as a gift according to the cover page of the book has won greatest media play from the Mayas of the Marlboro to the pipe smoking advocacy by Sir Francis, which won the American elite class. The plant has spread its influence from the Ottoman of sultans to the much coveted Hollywood offices.
On the other case the author schivelbusch in the book “ Tastes of Paradise: a social history of spices, stimulants and intoxicants” explores the origin of different substance and their impact on the society. Its is very clear how the substances evolved over time and the opinion of the society toward the various stimulants and intoxicants. The Catholic Church and the Protestants had a differing opinion on the usage of the substance. This lead to varying level of acceptance over different types of intoxicants and stimulants.
Unlike the other narcotics such as opium, hashish, marijuana, cocaine heroin and morphine tobacco has survived from being branded illegal. Much of this is attributed to the social class and the financial implication the crop has had in the society. Tobacco has lead to wars, racism, and colonization being used to force those opposed to the legalization of the crop to compromise.
The crop has painted the American soil blue with packets of cigarettes being part of the society. Empires have been established upon the success tobacco and job created for thousands. Despite the tobacco and other narcotic plants attracting large financial benefits to many nations, those opposed to the drugs have established continued campaign to establish control over consumption of different substances (Mennell and Schivelbusch).
The war on drugs is heavily connected to imperialism and racism. Drugs associated with less minority and poor in the society were the first to be made illegal. This act has resulted in interstate conflicts with the best example being between China and British over the opium trade. The world under the pressure from activist groups has been forced to enact laws to control the spread of use of the drug. Currently, the much-coveted product of the 19th and the 20th century is highly controlled and sold to people above a certain age. Researchers have also linked tobacco consumption to the large spread of cancer and other diseases. The civil society has increased pressure on governments to enhance controls on the commodity that for a long time was considered a source prestige. The much-coveted product is now considered trash by many in most societies.
Work cited
Mennell, Stephen, and Wolfgang Schivelbusch. "Tastes Of Paradise: A Social History Of Spices, Stimulants And Intoxicants.". Contemporary Sociology 22.5 (1993): 745. Web.
