The Complicated Lives of Historical Figures and Their Drug Use

When we talk about the forces that shape history, we usually hear about wars, revolutions, inventions… maybe the occasional love affair. But there’s one powerful force that’s rarely acknowledged—because, well, it makes people uncomfortable.

That force is drugs.

In his new book ⁠Human History on Drugs⁠, writer and historian Sam Kelly uncovers the surprising, often scandalous ways that everything from opium to cocaine has shaped leaders, inspired art, fueled some bad decisions—and some good ones. It’s a provocative and oddly humanizing look at the past, and it just might change the way you think about both history and substance use.

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