# What drugs have been used by soldiers in warfare past and present **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635 "2015-06-16T01:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/1 "2015-06-16T01:12:10Z")
I"ve heard that suicide bombers are loaded up on heroin, don’t know if that is true or not but I guess it would make it easier to kill oneself. I know some soldiers use anabolic steroids. And I know amphetamines were a big drug used in WW2 by both sides. Hash was used by some groups in the past. What if anything did the vikings use? I’ve read mushrooms, but didn’t know that those could cause rage. For the purposes of the thread, I’m talking about drugs used to enhance ones abilities in battle, not drugs to deal with the trauma of war (becoming an alcoholic or heroin addict after the war, etc). I’d assume they would use drugs that would do things like enhance the senses (sight, smell), deaden pain, slow the perception of time/improve reaction time, improve strength, improve speed, reduce fear, reduce the need for sleep, increase aggression, etc. Have wide ranges of drugs been used for that, or has it mostly just been a handful? Considering that historically I guess before the 20th century all you really had was marijuana, alcohol and mushrooms there wasn’t much to select from. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/2 "2015-06-16T01:43:32Z")
From what I’ve read (and Googling brings up both cites and refutations): The Wehrmacht gave its soldiers speed and steroids The Colt M1911 pistol was developed to stop drugged-up Moros in the Phillippine-American war Sigmund Freud became addicted to cocaine while experimenting on its feasibility for the Austro-Hungarian army. Starting with the U.S. Civil War, armies became dependent on coffee and tobacco. Before then, soldiers endeavored to be as drunk as possible when going into battle. Vikings had a thing for 'shrooms. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/3 "2015-06-16T02:05:44Z")
Years ago I read an article about primitive tribes where the shaman would prepare the men for battle by having them drink a concoction made from local plants. It contained things that would simultaneously stimulate them, numb them to physical and emotional pain, fill them with rage, and cause them to hallucinate. This was enhanced by ritual so that they ended up being fearless and reckless to the point of suicidal, in facing an enemy that they saw as demons attacking them and their families. I wish I could remember where I read it. I know that it used the term “war drugs” but a Google search on that returns nothing but articles on the war on drugs. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/4 "2015-06-16T06:27:28Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Starting with the U.S. Civil War, armies became dependent on coffee and tobacco. Before then, soldiers endeavored to be as drunk as possible when going into battle. > > . If by the US Civil War you mean the [Ottomons and the 17th century.](http://www.turkishculture.org/lifestyles/lifestyle/coffeehouses-204.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/5 "2015-06-16T08:37:15Z")
The fly agaric (_Amanita muscaria_) was used by the Khanty of Western Siberia before embarking on revenge expeditions. Ingesting the mushroom would give immense courage and stamina. (Peaceful) early eyewitness accounts tell of fly agaric-high men plowing through deep snow for hours on end just for the hell of it, before crashing and sleeping it off for a day or so. Fly agaric was widely used by indigenous peoples over the Boreal zone, no doubt from ancient times, but the Khanty account is the only one related to warfare that I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/6 "2015-06-16T11:18:46Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > If by the US Civil War you mean the [Ottomons and the 17th century.](http://www.turkishculture.org/lifestyles/lifestyle/coffeehouses-204.htm) from your link: > [@](#): > > Despite the fact that drinking coffee and going to coffeehouses was forbidden on several occasions during the course of the Ottoman Empire, these reopened as a result of the pressure exerted by the public. specifically, that was Murad IV, who didn’t like coffee, but really, really didn’t like tobacco. He’d stalk the streets and army camps, personally bashing smokers to death. Ironically, [Murad](http://www.magazineart.org/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=13156&g2_serialNumber=2) was a brand of Turkish tobacco cigarettes that never gained a foothold in the American or British market, unable to compete with stronger and more carcinogenic Virginia tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/7 "2015-06-16T11:26:01Z")
British sailors were issued with a pint of strong rum before a battle in the 17th/18th century. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/8 "2015-06-16T14:34:48Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > British sailors were issued with a pint of strong rum before a battle in the 17th/18th century. I would have thought that would have a good chance of being lethal. Let us fight ignorance, not spread it. The British Navy issued 1/8 of a pint- but it was every day, not just before battle. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum\_ration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_ration) Hefty servings of rum were however issued to British soldiers in WW1 just before an attack. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/9 "2015-06-16T14:57:27Z")
There is a brand of caffeinated black chocolate in Germany called _Scho-Ka-Kola_. It was first introduced in 1936 and it comes in a round metal canister. During WWII, it was issued to German pilots and it therefore was (and still is) also known as _Fliegerschokolade_ (aviator chocolate). _Scho-Ka-Kola_ is still available in the shops (and online). [http://www.scho-ka-kola.de/homepage-english.html](http://www.scho-ka-kola.de/homepage-english.html) > **[Scho-Ka-Kola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scho-Ka-Kola)** > > Scho-Ka-Kola is a German brand of chocolate consumed for its strong caffeine and kola nut mix. The chocolates have a caffeine content of about 0.2 percent, which is derived from the cocoa content of 58 percent and the addition of 2.6 percent roast coffee and 1.6 percent kola nut. The chocolate is divided into wedges held in a round metal canister. The red-and-white container design and recipe have changed very little since the original launch in 1936. > Scho-Ka-Kola (for Schokolade–Kaffee–Kolanuss... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/10 "2015-06-16T15:30:38Z")
Let’s not forget medicinal drugs. Starting with WWII, all American soldiers (and probably several other nations’) were issued a package of sulfa antibiotics for use on injured comrades. The practice continues today, though with more effective antibiotics. One might debate whether this counts as “in battle”, but remember that before WWII, infection claimed many more lives in warfare than direct enemy action. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/11 "2015-06-16T16:23:39Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > The Colt M1911 pistol was developed to stop drugged-up Moros in the Phillippine-American war I believe it was a Colt .45 [revolver.](http://www.morolandhistory.com/05.pg-kris-vs-krag/4.american_sidearms.htm) The Philippine American was took place from [1899 to 1902.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine%E2%80%93American_War) The911A was adopted by the US Army in [March 1911.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol#Early_history_and_adaptations) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/12 "2015-06-16T16:41:44Z")
The Moro Rebellion out in the boondocks went on until 1913. And against the Japanese. And during the Marcos regime. And currently during the War on Terror. Grouchy buggers. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/13 "2015-06-16T16:48:32Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Grouchy buggers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/14 "2015-06-16T18:20:32Z")
The Somalia fighters use khat to hop themselves up before battle. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/15 "2015-06-16T20:35:48Z")
On the modern front, what is our DOD currently working on? No cite handy, but I know they were looking into Modafinil at one point, and probably still are. They’ve also cut Neuralstem, Inc. some fat checks to help facilitate development of [NSI-189](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSI-189). The latter compound might not meet the OP’s criteria, as it is probably being looked at as a possible treatment for PTSD. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/16 "2015-06-16T21:44:47Z")
Amphetamines were fairly routinely distributed to combat troops on just about all sides of WWII. > **[History of Methamphetamine](https://www.narconon.org/drug-information/methamphetamine-history.html)** > > First synthesized in 1887 Germany, amphetamine was for a long time, a drug in search of a disease. Nothing was done with the drug, from its discovery (synthesis) until the late 1920’s, when it was seriously investigated as a cure or treatment for... During World War II, amphetamines were widely used to keep the fighting men going (during the Viet Nam war, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII). In Japan, intravenous methamphetamine abuse reached epidemic proportions immediately after World War II, when supplies stored for military use became available to the public. > **[History and culture of substituted amphetamines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_culture_of_substituted_amphetamines)** > > Amphetamine and methamphetamine are central nervous system stimulants used to treat a variety of conditions. When used recreationally, they are colloquially known as "speed" or sometimes “crank”. Amphetamine was first synthesized in 1887 in Germany by Romanian chemist Lazăr Edeleanu, who named it phenylisopropylamine. Around the same time, Japanese organic chemist Nagai Nagayoshi isolated ephedrine from the Chinese ephedra plant and later developed a method for ephedrine synthesis.\[n During Worl... During World War II, amphetamine and methamphetamine were used extensively by both the Allied and Axis forces for their stimulant and performance-enhancing effects > **[Drug policy of Nazi Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_the_Third_Reich)** > > The generally tolerant official drug policy in the Third Reich, the period of Nazi control of Germany from the 1933 Machtergreifung to Germany's 1945 defeat in World War II, was inherited from the Weimar government which was installed in 1919 following the dissolution of the German monarchy at the end of World War I. > Before the First World War, the collaborative research efforts of the German university system and German corporations enabled the German corporate sector as a whole to obtain a vir... Even though Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party rules stressed the importance of keeping fit by abstaining from drink and tobacco to keep the Aryan race strong and pure, his soldiers were taking chemicals to fight longer, harder and more recklessly. The German army distributed many millions of pills made from methamphetamine and a primarily cocaine-based stimulant to its front-line fighters, who were ordered to take them during battles. Drug use in the German military during World War II was highly encouraged and widespread. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/17 "2015-06-17T00:03:21Z")
I believe it’s SOP, albeit hardly official, for US soldiers to pack along a bottle of extra-strength tylenol, just to take care of those aches and pains that can happen when you’re extending yourself while wearing a backpack that weighs 1/3 to 1/2 of your body weight. In Nam, the rumors were that the LRRPs carried pocket fulls of ups and downs to hit their most productive energy level. One never knew for sure though, as they hardly ever associated with muggles (and in this case, that classification would include Green Beanies). ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/18 "2015-06-17T00:43:13Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I"ve heard that suicide bombers are loaded up on heroin, don’t know if that is true or not but I guess it would make it easier to kill oneself. I’ve never heard this before. Doesn’t really seem plausible, as I can’t imagine anyone being able to function hepped up heroin, let alone a soldier or pilot\*!\* ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/19 "2015-06-17T00:56:39Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I’ve never heard this before. Doesn’t really seem plausible, as I can’t imagine anyone being able to function hepped up heroin, let alone a soldier or pilot\*!\* [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2011/09/22/report-terrorists-used-heroine-to-numb-pain-before-launching-violent-suicide-attacks/](http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2011/09/22/report-terrorists-used-heroine-to-numb-pain-before-launching-violent-suicide-attacks/) Either way, couldn’t you just do a speedball or combine heroin with amphetamines to give you the energy to go through with an attack if fatigue was an issue? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635/20 "2015-06-17T01:12:17Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2011/09/22/report-terrorists-used-heroine-to-numb-pain-before-launching-violent-suicide-attacks/](http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2011/09/22/report-terrorists-used-heroine-to-numb-pain-before-launching-violent-suicide-attacks/) Yeah, that makes sense. Being that those are terrorists, not soldiers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-been-used-by-soldiers-in-warfare-past-and-present/722635.md?page=2)