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Rise in prescriptions and addictions to barbiturates.

1950

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By the 1950s, prescriptions for barbiturates (powerful sedatives) skyrocket, where fifty doses are sold annually for every man, woman, and child in the U.S.

Attempts to reduce prescriptions ensue, but they largely frame addiction as a stigmatized and racialized issue of the lower classes, ignoring the prevalence of dependence and addiction among the middle and upper classes. In 1953, fatal overdoses from barbiturates alone will kill a higher percentage of Americans than prescription opioids will in 2014.