On Speed: The Many Lives of Amphetamine

402 Pages·2008·1.88 MB·English

by  Nicolas Rasmussen

On Speed

Nicolas Rasmussen
On Speed
The Many Lives of Amphetamine
a
New York University Press • New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
© 2008 by New York University
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rasmussen, Nicolas, 1962–
On speed : the many lives of amphetamine / Nicolas Rasmussen.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-7601-8 (cl : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8147-7601-9 (cl : alk. paper)
1. Amphetamines—United States—History. 2. Amphetamine abuse—
United States—History. I. Title. II. Title: Many lives of amphetamine.
[DNLM: 1. Amphetamines—history—United States. 2. Amphetamine-Related
Disorders—history—United States. 3. History, 20th Century—United States.
4. History, 21st Century—United States. QV 102 R225o 2007]
RM666.A493R37 2007
362.29'90973—dc22 2007043261
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents,Laura and Norman,
for teaching me to ask questions

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 The New Sensation 6
2 Benzedrine: The Making of a Modern Medicine 25
3 Speed and Total War 53
4 Bootleggers, Beatniks, and Benzedrine Benders 87
5 ABromide for the Atomic Age 113
6 Amphetamine and the Go-Go Years 149
7 Amphetamine’s Decline: From Mental Medicine to
Social Disease 182
8 Fast Forward: Still on Speed, 1971 to Today 222
Conclusion: The Lessons of History 255
Notes 261
List of Archival Sources 347
Index 348
About the Author 352
Illustrations appear in two groups following pages 86 and 148.
vii

Acknowledgments
This book benefited from so much help from so many people over so
many years that it is hard to know where to begin to express my grati-
tude. I owe special thanks to those who have sacrificed their valuable
time in commenting on drafts and excerpts, notably Jackie Biro, Mark
Cortiula, Larry Diller, David Healy, Chris Kearney, Iain McGregor,
Kane Race, Ned Shorter, and, especially, Andy Rasmussen. Those who
helped by sharing their expertise and discussing ideas include Caro-
line Acker, Philippe Bourgois, Joel Braslow, Elizabeth Bromley, Chris-
topher Callahan, Iain Chalmers, Jean-Paul Gaudilliere, Wayne Hall,
Harry Marks, Peter Neushul, Scott Podolsky, Hans Pols, Jonathan Sad-
owski, Jonathan Simon, Peter Steinkamp, John Swann, and Jackie Tay-
lor. Dave Smith kindly sacrificed an entire day for interviewing, for
which I am grateful. The substance of the work would not have been
possible without the help and forbearance of archivists at the Califor-
nia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the National Acad-
emy of Sciences USA, Rockefeller Archive Center, Tufts University, the
University of California at San Francisco, the University of Pennsylva-
nia, several U.S. National Archives and Records Administration facili-
ties, and the United Kingdom National Archives. The research assis-
tance of Larissa Johnson was most helpful in completing the work. I
also gratefully acknowledge support from the Biot Fund of the Cali-
fornia Institute of Technology, an Arts Faculty Research Grant and
Gold Star award from the University of New South Wales, and espe-
cially an Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant, number
DP0449467. Last, but certainly not least, this work owes its origins to
the stimulating discussion and experience offered by John Gregg.
ix