A weird relic from the past: The 1979 Cocaine Calendar
Here’s a weird relic from the past: a 1979 calendar dedicated to cocaine. Yes, you read it correctly, to cocaine. While the substance was illegal, it wasn’t considered all that bad (and it was normal to advertise cocaine gadgets in magazines).
Each month’s photo shows the coca plant at a different stage of its transition to cocaine powder, from its source in the Andes to its destination as a Christmas gift, and of course, users enjoying it.
The months are accompanied by quotes about cocaine from different sources. There’s also a Brief History of Cocaine and a Chronology of its history from 900 A.D. to 1979 on the front matter side.
The calendar was published in San Francisco by Red Dog Productions. And, look at the font style of the calendar’s title… Does it look familiar?
The calendar dropped just before the era of President Reagan and the beginning of The War On Drugs, when cocaine was described in US government reports as “not physically addictive, and usually does not result in serious social consequences, such as crime, hospital emergency room admissions, or death”. Cocaine use experienced a surge in popularity in the 1970s, peaking in the 1980s. During this time, cocaine was associated with celebrities, high rollers, and glamorous parties.
