This document discusses the history and development of drug regulation in the United States. It notes that current drug laws trace back to the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906 and Harrison Act of 1914, which were influenced by concerns over fraudulent and dangerous patent medicines as well as fears about recreational drug use. Over time, these laws have been amended and updated, including through the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, to establish a drug scheduling system and further regulate pharmaceutical research, approval, and prescription. The impacts and effectiveness of this increasingly strict drug enforcement approach are still being debated.
Image sources: National Library of Medicine (Image Ch03_01CocaWine) Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Image Ch03_02PatMedHoofland) PhotoLink/Getty Images (Image Ch03_11DrugDevelopment)
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Image Ch03_09OpiumPoster1)
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Image Ch03_09OpiumPoster1)
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Images Ch03_06PatMedKentucky, Ch03_04PatMedJayne)