Illegal Drugs

River eels exposed to cocaine suffered muscle damage and other health effects.

Cocaine in the Water Is Hurting River Eels

When researchers exposed eels to the illicit drug, the animals became hyperactive and suffered muscle damage

Fake medicines are a lucrative global business. When it comes to malaria drugs that don’t work, they can be deadly.

Are Fake Drugs The Reason Malaria Sickens Millions a Year?

Fraudulent, expired and low-quality medicines contribute to the disease's death toll—and could worsen drug resistance

A vintage ad for patent medicines, which usually didn't list their active ingredients. We now know that many contained morphine, cocaine, opium and more.

How Advertising Shaped the First Opioid Epidemic

And what it can teach us about the second

What Reddit Can Tell Us About the Afterlives of Banned Olympic Drugs

We analyzed 150,000 comments to find that the Internet is still openly discussing these mind-bending stimulants

From developmental problems to reproductive issues, drug waste is affecting marine wildlife.

How Drugged-Up Shellfish Help Scientists Understand Human Pollution

These involuntary medicine-guzzlers have much tell us about the consequences of pharmaceutical waste

This cartoon from Harper's Weekly depicts how opiates were used in the 19th century to help babies cope with teething.

Inside the Story of America’s 19th-Century Opiate Addiction

Doctors then, as now, overprescribed the painkiller to patients in need, and then, as now, government policy had a distinct bias

Understanding the Doping Controversy That's Hit Sled Dog Racing

Four-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey's dogs tested positive for banned substances, but Seavey claims it was sabotage

Trump Declares the Opioid Crisis a Public Health Emergency. What Does That Mean?

Critics say that his plan falls short of the drastic—and costly—effort required to effectively combat the crisis

The bottle of multivitamins at left were typical of the ways Americans became addicted to amphetamines.

A Speedy History of America’s Addiction to Amphetamine

In a startling parallel to today’s opioid crisis, the drugs were liberally—and legally—prescribed despite little information on safety

The October 21, 1967 March on the Pentagon is remembered as one of the most significant political demonstrations of the era.

Fifty Years Ago, a Rag-Tag Group of Acid-Dropping Activists Tried to "Levitate" the Pentagon

The March on the Pentagon to end the Vietnam War began a turning point in public opinion, but some in the crowd were hoping for a miracle

Zebrafish

How Getting Fish Hooked on Drugs Could Help Fight Opioid Addiction

Zebra fish and humans have similar pathways of addiction, which may make them ideal test subjects for addiction studies

Scientists Unlock Magic Mushrooms' Mysterious Chemical Compound

A new study has uncovered the enzymatic pathways that allow 'shrooms to make psilocybin

“Love Symbol #2”

Prince Now Has His Own Shade of Purple

The Pantone Color Institute has debuted “Love Symbol #2,” a deep purple based on the late star's custom-made piano

This forest in Guatemala was burned to make way for agricultural development. A new study suggests that drug traffickers contribute to rainforest loss by laundering money with agriculture in forest lands.

Cocaine Is Destroying Forests in Central America

Once-forested lands are being used in money laundering operations

Many of the records from MKUltra have been destroyed, but 8,000 pages of records were discovered in 1977.

What We Know About the CIA's Midcentury Mind-Control Project

Project MKUltra began on this day in 1953 and continued for years

There are ways to treat heroin addiction—but they remain controversial.

U.S. Heroin Use Has Risen Dramatically Since 2001

White males under 45 are most likely to report using the drug

Researchers gave capsules containing psilocybin to cancer patients with terminal cancer—and witnessed spectacular results.

Could Magic Mushrooms One Day Help Cancer Patients Face Down Death?

Two new studies show the promise of psilocybin for patients with anxiety and depression

Chaunté Lowe, who placed sixth in the high jump in the 2008 Beijing Games, is now a bronze medalist

New Doping Tests Are Turning Past Runners-Up Into Olympic Medalists

Over 75 medal winners from the 2008 and 2012 games have been busted for doping, scrambling the Olympic record books

"Hey guys this sugar is great, but where can we find some morphine?"

Addict Ants Show That Insects Can Get Hooked on Drugs, Too

How researchers got a non-mammal hooked on drugs for the first time

Streams Around Baltimore Are Flush With Amphetamines

So many people are sending drugs down the drain, increasing amounts are ending up in waterways

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