Benzedrine
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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'"Benzedrine is a good kick,” she said. “Three strips of the paper or about ten tablets. Or take two strips of benny and two goof balls. They get down there and have a fight. It’s a good drive."' --Junkie Benzedrine was commonly referenced in Beatnik culture and writings. It was referenced in the works of famous Beats, including Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar, William S. Burroughs's novel Junky, and Allen Ginsberg's memoir poem "Howl". Benzedrine is also mentioned in John Rechy's novel City of Night and several novels by Jacqueline Susann, in particular The Love Machine in which main character Robin Stone treats the drug as a staple of "a well balanced diet" inclusive of red meat and cigarettes. Benzedrine is frequently referenced in Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel Last Exit to Brooklyn. |
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Benzedrine is the trade name of the racemic mixture of amphetamine (dl-amphetamine). It was marketed under this brandname in the USA by Smith, Kline and French in the form of inhalers, starting in 1928. Benzedrine was used to enlarge nasal and bronchial passages and it is closely related to other stimulants produced later, such as Dexedrine (d-amphetamine) and methamphetamine.
Early users of the Benzedrine inhaler discovered that it had a euphoric stimulant effect, resulting in it being one of the earliest synthetic stimulants to be widely used for recreational (i.e., non-medical) purposes. Even though this drug was intended for inhalation, many people abused it by cracking the container open and swallowing the paper strip inside, which was covered in Benzedrine. The strips were often rolled into small balls and swallowed, or taken with coffee or alcohol. The drug was often referred to as "Bennies" by users and in literature.
Because of the stimulant side effect, physicians discovered that amphetamine could also be used to treat narcolepsy. This led to the production of Benzedrine in tablet form. Benzedrine was also used by doctors to perk lethargic patients up before breakfast.
In the 1940s and 1950s reports began to emerge about the abuse of Benzedrine inhalers, and in 1949, doctors began to move away from prescribing Benzedrine as a bronchodilator and appetite suppressant. In 1959, the FDA made it a prescription drug in the United States. Benzedrine and derived amphetamines were used as a stimulant for armed forces in World War II and Vietnam.
When Benzedrine became a controlled substance, it was replaced by Propylhexedrine (also known as Hexahydrodesoxyephedrine). Propylhexedrine was also manufactured by Smith, Kline and French and was marketed under the name Benzedrex. Although Benzedrex has only slight potential for abuse, it has been the cause of death by intravenous use. The Benzedrex inhaler is still available today, but is no longer manufactured by Smith, Kline and French (currently GlaxoSmithKline).
Benzedrine should not be confused with the fundamentally different substance Benzphetamine.
In popular culture
In Ian Fleming's novel Live and Let Die, the character James Bond receives benzedrine tablets amongst other materials intended to aid him in a mission. Bond takes a tablet and later credits its effect with preventing him from fainting after severe injury. Bond also mixes benzedrine into his champagne glass in order to be more alert for a game of bridge in the novel Moonraker. Benzedrine is also the drug of choice of Bond's nemesis Le Chiffre in Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale, albeit administered via an inhaler.
Benzedrine is also referenced in the song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" by R.E.M. Much earlier, in 1946, a minor hit record by Harry Gibson was, "Who Put the Benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine," which was a song about a woman who partied at all the nightclubs and lost a lot of weight doing so. One line in the song was, "The benzedrine's the thing that makes her swing."
In his autobiography, Malcolm X mentions using benzedrine as a young hustler in Harlem.
Benzedrine is referenced in the song Wet Sand by Red Hot Chili Peppers from their album Stadium Arcadium. "Bennie" figures largely in Last Exit to Brooklyn Hubert Selby, Jr. Jack Kerouac allegedly wrote his famous novel On The Road in twenty days, while high on Benzedrine. Other Beat Generation's figures used Benzedrine, such as Joan Vollmer, William Burroughs' wife.
In Bob Fosse's 1979 film All That Jazz the protagonist Joe Gideon, an eccentric Broadway musical director, played by Roy Scheider, is seen taking Benzedrine pills on a daily basis, in increasing dosage, which, as the screenplay suggests, contributes strongly to his medical problems.
The song entitled, "Wet Sand" performed by the pop band The Red Hot Chili Peppers, references Benzedrine in it's lyrics:
"The travesties that we have seen/
Are treating me like Benzedrine/
Automatic laugher from a pro".1
References
{{1"Wet Sand." By The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Stadium Arcadium. Warner Brothers, 2008.}}
See also
