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What was Drug Use Like in the Old West?

by | Dec 18, 2018 | Ask the Marshall, Departments

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What was drug use like in the Old West? Shane King-Furgala Irvine, California Drugs were pretty common and were legal—whether for killing pain or recreational use (or as an additive in Coca Cola). The most popular painkillers were whiskey, morphine, opium and laudanum. These could be purchased over the counter at any drugstore. Initially, morphine was the most common narcotic on the frontier. It was first extracted in 1804 and was the first drug derived from a natural plant. It remains on


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