“ the Dangerous Drugs ” Anti-Drug Film on Barbiturates and Amphetamine Abuse Xd4670 (1956)
1956 · Short film · 25 min
Synopsis
The Narcotic Educational Foundation of America presents (0:46) “The Dangerous Drugs” (0:53), a 1956 anti-drug movie in which pre-presidential narrator Ronald Reagan examines the health risks and growing societal problem of barbiturate and amphetamine abuse. Drugs in dark bottles (1:48). Barbiturate pills processed in industrial machines (1:54). A lady purchases drugs from a pharmacy (1:58). A montage of women and men taking drugs with water (2:08). A man takes barbiturates at a party (3:12). He shares the pills with friends (3:51). They take the barbiturates with alcohol, increasing the stupor and intoxication (4:46).A doctor (5:07) explains that barbiturate is a derivative of barbituric acid, and acts as a depressant on the central nervous system. They were prescribed to induce sleep, anesthesia, and as an anticonvulsant. A nurse prepares the drugs (5:35); a doctor writes out a prescription for a patient (6:03). But many people misuse drugs. An elderly woman consults a doctor (6:14). She suffers half-hidden anxieties and despair, leaning on the crutch of drugs. The doctor prescribes her barbiturates (6:43). At home, she struggles to put on clothes (7:05). She takes more pills (7:48), then collapses (8:30). A barbiturate overdose is often the result drug-induced forgetfulness. Many such deaths may be listed as suicides. In the laboratory of Dr. Horace W. Magoun at the University of California Los Angeles, researchers use electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain waves,…
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Details
- Running time
- 25 minutes
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- Torrance Police Department
- The Narcotic Educational Foundation
- The Dangerous Drugs
- Ronald Reagan
- California Los Angeles
- Eva Killam
- Angeles City Hall
- Bear Flag
- California State Board
- Lieutenant Carmel Cook
