1. Methamphetamine Remained Legal in Germany Until the 1990s
The quack Dr. Theodor Morell did more than get the Fuhrer hooked on crystal meth, or methamphetamines, via Pervitin. He also turned him into a cocaine addict, after he prescribed it to soothe the dictator’s sore throat and clear his sinuses. Hitler soon had a compulsion to frequently soothe his throat and clear his sinuses. By 1945, the Fuhrer was a full-blown junkie with rotting teeth, addicted to a bewildering variety of drugs. When his drug supplies ran out in the war’s final weeks, Hitler suffered all the symptoms of severe withdrawal: delusions, psychosis, paranoia, extreme shaking, and kidney failure.
Pervitin remained popular and readily available in Germany after the war. No surprise, since millions of returning soldiers could swear by the super high it gave them. It was frequently prescribed by doctors as an antidepressant or as an appetite suppressant, or readily obtainable on the black market. German students – especially medical students – were huge fans of the drug, which they used as a stimulant to help them cram for exams. It was only removed from medical supplies in East Germany in the 1970s, and in West Germany in the 1980s. It was finally banned outright and declared illegal after German reunification in the 1990s.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
All That is Interesting – How Drugs Like Pervitin and Cocaine Fueled the Nazis’ Rise and Fall
Andreas, Peter – Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs (2020)
Atlantic, The, September 25th, 2013 – How Alcohol Conquered Russia
Booth, Martin – Cannabis: A History (2005)
Clark, Christopher – Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 (2006)
Cracked – Prussia’s King Tried to Breed an Army of Giant Super Soldiers
Gizmodo – A Beginner’s Guide to Navy-Strength Rum
Guardian, The, September 25th, 2016 – High Hitler: How Nazi Drug Abuse Steered the Course of History
History Collection – This Nazi Butcher Became a CIA Operative and South American Drug Kingpin
History of War – The Potsdam Giants: How the King of Prussia ‘Bred’ and Army of Super Soldiers
Keegan, John – Soldiers: A History of Men in Battle (1997)
Macalister College – Vodka: The Bitter Stuff
Military History Monthly, June 12th, 2012 – War Culture: Military Drinking
Military History Now – Fighting Spirits: Three Centuries of Rum in the Royal Navy
Ohler, Norman – Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich (2017)
Rolling Stone, March 15th, 2017 – Hitler and His Drugs: Inside the Nazis’ Speed Craze
Spiegel, May 30th, 2013 – The German Granddaddy of Crystal Meth
Top Tenz – 10 Ways Drugs Have Been Utilized in Warfare Throughout History
