Which of the following drugs had strong controls in many U.S. states in the mid 1800s? Group of answer choices Alcohol Opium Coca Tobacco
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is Alcohol.
Explanation:
In the mid-1800s, the United States saw the significant rise of the Temperance Movement. This powerful social and political movement advocated for the reduction or complete elimination of alcohol consumption. Fueled by concerns about the social problems associated with excessive drinking, temperance advocates successfully pushed for legislative action at both state and local levels.
Beginning notably with the Maine Law of 1851, which enacted statewide prohibition, several other states followed suit or implemented stringent controls on the sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages during this period. While many of these early prohibition laws were eventually repealed or challenged, they represent a clear instance of “strong controls” being implemented across numerous states in the mid-1800s specifically targeting alcohol.
In contrast, drugs like opium and coca (and their derivatives like cocaine) were generally more readily available, often in patent medicines, with significant federal and state controls developing much later, primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (e.g., the Harrison Act of 1914). Tobacco, while a major industry and widely used, faced no comparable widespread state-level prohibition or “strong controls” in the mid-1800s; significant regulation of tobacco came much later in the 20th century. Therefore, alcohol was the substance facing the most widespread and impactful state-level controls during the mid-1800s due to the strength of the temperance movement.