The Marginalian
The Marginalian

1951 Black-and-White Animation on How Different Drugs Work

From poppies to paupers, or what Cold War politics have to do with the social psychology of addiction.

By Maria Popova

Last month, we were entertained by a 1970s “documentary” that explained the dangers of drugs in LEGO. Today, we turn to Drug Addiction, produced by Encyclopedia Britannica’s film division in 1951. Though most of it follows the classic “slippery-slope” narrative of Cold-War-era anti-drug propaganda, it also features this stunning two-minute black-and-white animation on how heroin, opium, marijuana and cocaine are derived and how they work.

Watch or download the full film, courtesy of the Internet Archive:

via The Atlantic

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Published September 15, 2011
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https://www.themarginalian.org/2011/09/15/1951-drug-addiction-encyclopedia-britannica/
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