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Human History on Drugs
An Utterly Scandalous But Entirely Truthful Look at History Under the Influence by Sam Kelly
If history were a party, most of your heroes would already be in the kitchen, passing something around.
What if history’s truth is hazy?
In Human History on Drugs, historian Sam Kelly introduces us to the history we weren’t taught in school, offering up irreverent and hysterical commentary as he sheds light on some truly shocking aspects of the historical characters we only thought we knew.
SMARTEST TAKEAWAYS
Drugs and Society Over Time
1️⃣ Altered States Fueled Creativity and Conflict: Across time, mind-altering substances have served as both tools of inspiration and weapons of chaos. They sparked art, religion, and breakthroughs—but also revolution and unrest. The history of progress isn’t squeaky clean; it’s entangled with risk, experimentation, and the search for meaning just beyond consciousness.
2️⃣ Society’s Rules Change, But Human Curiosity Doesn’t: What’s considered taboo, dangerous, or sacred shifts with time and place. Yet, humans have always explored new ways to alter their experience—sometimes seeking escape, sometimes connection, sometimes transcendence. These desires cut across era, class, and continent, shaping everything from leadership styles to medical practices.
3️⃣ Our View of “Greatness” Is More Human Than We Think: The achievements of “great” leaders, artists, and thinkers are rarely the product of pure discipline alone. Behind the legend, we find real people—curious, vulnerable, sometimes self-destructive—whose highs and lows reflect the same impulses that drive all of humanity.
Sam Kelly, a history grad from Stanford University that is on the autism spectrum, is known for making complex, often taboo subjects accessible and entertaining for wide audiences
INSIGHTFUL EXAMPLE
The Biggest Drug Dealer of All Time
Who was the most notorious drug kingpin of all time? You might think it was Pablo Escobar, or maybe El Chapo—but you’d be wrong. More than 100 years before those guys were born, there was an incredibly powerful woman who controlled a drug empire so vast and so unimaginably lucrative that it made Escobar and El Chapo look like low-level street dealers. Plus, she wasn’t forced to live in a remote jungle compound surrounded by gun-toting thugs, because no one was coming after her. She also didn’t have to conceal her ill-gotten gains from the government tax collectors, because the proceeds from her drug operation were funding the entire country. And she didn’t have to worry about being thrown in prison because everyone with the authority to punish drug crimes was already on her payroll.
She was Queen Victoria, and she was running the British Empire.
BOOK FACTS
Human History on Drugs
First Published: July 8, 2025
Print length: 400 pages
Listening length: 7:55
Ratings: 5.0 Amazon, 4.2 Goodreads
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