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Vietnam War and Drugs

            
             Marijuana, Amphetamines, Opium and Heroin were a serious problem from 1968 onward during the Vietnam War. In 1968 50 percent of American service men used drugs, after Tet Offensive drugs rose dramatically. By 1970 that number had jump to 65 percent. Drugs were cheap and very available. They were a way for the soldiers to "escape" from the pure anxiety and stress of combat while filling the bored time.
             Marijuana was the combat choice. When bought a joint would cost 5 cents, and a carton of pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes would cost about $5.00 or a trade could be made with a carton of American Smokes. Vietnamese often threw marijuana cigarettes into passing American jeeps and trucks. It was used so frequently that it became part of the Vietnam norm. .
             Amphetamines were also very popular. A vile could be bought on the black market for 12 times less then it would cost in the United States. Many soldiers used Amphetamines to stay alert while on patrol or for fun at local parties. However, coming down from the drug made the soldiers edgy and extremely irritable. The come down was so bad for many service men that they felt like "Shooting all the little children in the streets," and that's exactly what some soldiers did. .
             Opium and Heron came in 3rd place of the most used drugs. This was partly because on one wanted to be caught "nodding" during an ambush. Binges were very common during the last year of the War due to the remarkable low price and astound purity. American service men could buy a gram of 95 percent pure heron for only $2.00. In America a gram could cost $100.00 and would rarely be more than 10 percent pure. Opium was often rolled in to cigarettes and gave a similar high as heron. Opium was very addictive and was less common. However, Opium drove some Vietnam veterans to commit crimes to support their habits back in the Unites States. .
             For many Americans these drugs were only used while in Vietnam.


Essays Related to Vietnam War and Drugs

1. Vietnam

... problem with U.S. soldiers. Obtaining heroin or marijuana was not a difficult task. Soldiers didn't know how to cope with problems, so some used drugs. Not every soldier used drugs. Some didn't mind the war and where fine (Stein interview"). The Vietnam War was widely protested. The Vietnam War caused America to split apart. America was in the time of expressing itself. One group consisted of mostly younger people, Hippies ... , and college students. Drugs were also associated with this group. The other group was usually older, and disapproved of everything the other group did. Marching ...

  • Word Count: 1187
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

2. The effects of the Vietnam War on American Soldiers

... himself, then he would not have feelings for other soldiers. Many friendships were made during the Vietnam War and many sacrifices were made for friends, sometimes even the greatest sacrifice, death was made. However, the division between veteran soldiers and the new soldiers was often very significant, and that caused the unit to not bond the way units had in wars from the past, such ... , this is not true by any means, even though drugs were used in Vietnam, once the veteran was removed from the active combat situation and returned home, the need for drugs and alcohol decreased signifi...

  • Word Count: 4154
  • Approx Pages: 17
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Political and social effects t

... movement took on the fight against the drafting of young men to Vietnam. Many protests were staged throughout the 60's to end the war, especially the "March to End the War in Vietnam" held at the Independence memorial in Washington, 1965. During 1965, the Vietnam War intensified. The USA put more and more effort into it, and the South Vietnamese government's lack of control became apparent. In August ... , the hippy culture arose as a result of vast political changes occurring in North America and beyond and not as a result of drugs and music. The drugs and music were a by-product of the ...

  • Word Count: 3259
  • Approx Pages: 13
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Vietnam War in American Film

... a film can be an excellent movie in spite of its use of myths and inaccuracies about the war and the soldiers. Driven to create outstanding and successful films, directors of Vietnam War films created movies that act powerfully on viewers" emotions by focusing on dramatic events and ideas, such as stereotypical Vietnam veterans and their Vietnamese enemies, survival as a form of heroism, cynicism as a form ... went deeper into the origins of human nature." By trying to represent universal truths about the human condition, Coppola removes the history from the radically different and origi...

  • Word Count: 3681
  • Approx Pages: 15
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. The War Against Drugs Has Failed

... enter the country regardless. Only an estimated ten percent of imported drugs are confiscated (LeMoult and Haag 32). Many drug smugglers have stopped smuggling drugs of great weight and volume because of the risk of confiscation. Ted Gottfried stated that the American army during the Vietnam War ""began an all-out campaign to cut off the supply [of marijuana] - with pot-sniffing dogs, searches ... of men's billets, and mass arrests for possession." Two years after the campaign was launched, a Pentagon ... its effectiveness. He found that many soldiers had stopped smoking marijuana and...

  • Word Count: 1380
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography

6. American Women in Vietnam

... dilemma that sometimes faced the nurses was whether to treat patients who had obviously been abusing drugs "with some nurses refusing to do this. In the midst of the trauma and human destruction that these women witnessed during their twelve-hour workdays, nurses in the Vietnam War developed a camaraderie that allowed them to survive even the worst situations. Many developed friendships ... on her return from the war. She, like many other women, turned to alcohol and drugs as a result of her inability to cope with her post-traumatic disorder following her frightening personal experiences...

  • Word Count: 2573
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. American Cinema And The Vietnam War

... Rock And Roll War" is how the New York Times described Vietnam, and in light of that quotation Apocalypse Now is the most accurate Vietnam film ever made, for that cliche remains integral throughout. Coppola invested $16 million of his own money into it, and came close to insanity trying to get it made (he attempted suicide twice during filming). Apocalypse Now fuses the chaos of war, drugs ... , peace protest and rock music into a single hallucination, we ride alongside the ... did, but it still remains the closest that any contemporary filmmaker will ever get to recreating the excess ...

  • Word Count: 3466
  • Approx Pages: 14
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. How The Music Of The 60's Influenced The Differences And Beliefs Between The Older And Younger Generation

... distinctions were more pronounced." The younger generation, those of the "counterculture," as opposed to the "consensus era," embraced anti-commercialism, sexual freedom, drugs, and generally revolted against the conventions of society and politics as usual. Thus the society was divided, and this partition shone through in the music. Some musicians in the 1960s tried to unite the age-divided country, or at least tried ... opinion at the time also reflected that both the Soviet Union and China were actively supporting those of South Vietnam. The "counterculture" generation was against th...

  • Word Count: 2539
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Sex ,drugs, and Rock

... Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix died as a result of recreational drug use. Ken Kesey (Rock'n'Roll star), one of the earliest proponents of LSD use, denounced its curative powers as early as 1967, but by then its use was too widespread to be controlled ( ).* Rock music promoted other different things besides drugs like rebellions, especially during the time of the Vietnam War. In 1965 ... , Barry McGuire recorded the first "rock protest- song, "Eve of Destruction-, refers to nuclear war and middle class hypocrisy, and Red China were incorporated into the music (Podell 47). There were no hid...

  • Word Count: 1932
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

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