5 Weird and Interesting Drug Facts You May Not Know

Whether we realize it or not, most of us come in contact with drugs on a daily basis.

From caffeine to alcohol to cannabis and other illegal substances, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t self-medicate in some capacity.

But you haven’t heard the whole truth about these illicit substances. Here are five interesting drug facts that are sure to shock you.

1. Drugs Have Been Around For Centuries

Some of the first known instances of drug use come from hunters and priests.
In a paper on man’s relationship to addictive substances, Marc-Antoine Crocq delved into the rich history of our ancestor’s first trips.

According to Crocq’s research, caffeine was the first drug routinely used.

Its benefits were discovered when an Ethiopian hunter noticed his goats running wildly, with more energy than ever before. Upon further inspection, the hunter saw his goats chomping on some coffee shrubs.

He took his findings back to the tribe who quickly harvested the shrubs and boiled them. The result is the first known cup of coffee, enjoyed by priests during religious ceremonies.

2. The Dark History of Anabolic Steroids

You’re probably passingly familiar with anabolic steroids from sports controversies. What you most likely don’t know is that these growth-inducing drugs have an incredibly dark past.

The first recorded use of anabolic steroids comes from concentration camps during World War II.

Nazi doctors were determined to find a way to strengthen the German army.

Learning from basic experiments in the 19th century, they crushed up human and animal testicles and mixed the powder with a few other substances to increase testosterone.

Rumors even suggest that German soldiers and Hitler himself routinely took steroids to become more aggressive.

3. Coca-Cola Didn’t Contain as Much Coke as You Think

Perhaps the most popular of the interesting drug facts is that Johnny Pemberton, creator of Coca-Cola, used cocaine in his product for years.

While this is true to a certain extent, many don’t know just how little cocaine our favorite beverage contained.

As of the early 1900s, Coca-Cola only had 1/400th of a grain of cocaine per ounce of syrup. It was still there, yes, but it wouldn’t exactly provide the results many people expect when they hear the rumor.

4. Peyote Is Legal in Certain Areas

If you’ve ever read the works of Hunter S. Thompson, you know that peyote can do some strange things to a person.

It’s one of the most potent psychotropic drugs out there, and in some areas, it’s completely legal.

But before you rush off to Google Maps, there’s something you should know:

Peyote is only a protected substance for certain Native American tribes. And even then, there are restrictions on where a tribe member can and cannot use peyote.

5. John F. Kennedy Overdosed on Meth

Yep, it sounds unbelievable, but it really happened.

While Kennedy was in office, he began suffering from extreme bouts of pain. Reportedly, the pain got so bad that Dr. Max Jacobson was called in.

Jacobson is blamed for getting Kennedy hooked on meth, routinely giving the sitting president shots.

In one instance, Jacobson gave Kennedy too much, causing Kennedy to run around a hotel room naked as he screamed. Needless to say, Jacobson was kept on a short leash after that.

Disclaimer on Interesting Drug Facts

This article in no way endorses drugs. However, we understand that our readers have their own thoughts and feelings.

All we can say is if you do use substances, please be careful.

Millions of people overdose every year and it takes time and effort to recover from heroin addiction or addiction to any other substance.

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