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OUTRUNNING THE DEMONS

Although most medieval superstitions have died out, the myth of demon possession lives on. In the 19th century, many people came to believe that anyone who voluntarily consumed distilled liquor became helplessly possessed, having no choice but to feed an insatiable craving for the "demon drink". This idea has continued to be applied into the 21st century, essentially unchanged, to a parade of new drugs, including morphine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, meprobamate, barbiturates, methylamphetamine, and ecstasy. All have been said to take control of the people, just as a demon possesses its victim, and the myth survived modern scepticism because it was (and still is) spread by governments and police, and by medical authorities as scientific fact.

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