RELEASE: Introduction

History of UK Drugs and UK Drug Laws

While this chronology deals primarily with drugs and the laws that attempt to control them in the context of the United Kingdom, it should be borne in mind that the UK legislation is formed within the framework of international treaties, to which the HM Government has signed up and which impose various obligations on UK drug law and policy.

In addition, the drug trade has always been and remains a global network, in which countries and their populations are interconnected and interdependent.

Prehistory to Middle Ages: While traces of drug use have emerged in practically all human cultures since the beginning of recorded history, very little is known

with regard to drug use before the early modern period. The opium poppy plant (papaver somniferum) is native to the Mediterranean, and was used in mystical and religious rites in Greece and Crete a thousand years before the birth of Christ. Both the Greeks and the Romans had extensive knowledge of opium, and used it widely in their medical traditions. The Romans would have brought opium with them when they occupied the British Isles, and it is probable that the indigenous people were exposed to it.

The Romans also practised sophisticated viniculture, and the Celtic tribal peoples brewed ales, so both would certainly have used alcohol. Stories of 'Druids' using psilocybin mushrooms and such are of doubtful provenance, largely emerging from wishful imaginings. While it is likely that plants yielding psychoactive alkaloids would have been used for religious purposes, it remains a matter for speculation. It is equally probable that alkaloids derived from nightshade, amanita muscara mushrooms and so on were used by 'witches' in order to produce their 'flying ointments' and ritual drugs, but again the scholarship is dodgy.

So, it may be best to start with what is well established as historical fact, and begin at the renaissance.


DRUGS THE LAW º Legal History º Introduction º 1500 to 1799 º 1800 to 1899 º 1900 to 1939 º 1940 to 2005 HUMAN RIGHTS HOME DONATE OUR SERVICES PUBLICATIONS ABOUT RELEASE BUST CARD HELPLINES CONTACT US SHOP NEWS LINKS MEDIA CENTER LEGAL MANUAL VACANCIES CONFERENCES PRIVACY DISCLAIMER	History of UK Drugs and UK Drug Laws While this chronology deals primarily with drugs and the laws that attempt to control them in the context of the United Kingdom, it should be borne in mind that the UK legislation is formed within the framework of international treaties, to which the HM Government has signed up and which impose various obligations on UK drug law and policy. In addition, the drug trade has always been and remains a global network, in which countries and their populations are interconnected and interdependent. Prehistory to Middle Ages: While traces of drug use have emerged in practically all human cultures since the beginning of recorded history, very little is known with regard to drug use before the early modern period. The opium poppy plant (papaver somniferum) is native to the Mediterranean, and was used in mystical and religious rites in Greece and Crete a thousand years before the birth of Christ. Both the Greeks and the Romans had extensive knowledge of opium, and used it widely in their medical traditions. The Romans would have brought opium with them when they occupied the British Isles, and it is probable that the indigenous people were exposed to it. The Romans also practised sophisticated viniculture, and the Celtic tribal peoples brewed ales, so both would certainly have used alcohol. Stories of 'Druids' using psilocybin mushrooms and such are of doubtful provenance, largely emerging from wishful imaginings. While it is likely that plants yielding psychoactive alkaloids would have been used for religious purposes, it remains a matter for speculation. It is equally probable that alkaloids derived from nightshade, amanita muscara mushrooms and so on were used by 'witches' in order to produce their 'flying ointments' and ritual drugs, but again the scholarship is dodgy. So, it may be best to start with what is well established as historical fact, and begin at the renaissance.	DRUG FACTS 2CB 2CI alcohol amphetamines cannabis cocaine crack DMT ecstasy GHB heroin ketamine lsd methadone mushrooms nitrites salvia solvents steroids

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