When was opioid addiction first observed in the United States?
Widespread prevalence of opioid addiction was first documented in the United States following the U.S. Civil War of 1861-1865, when narcotics administered to injured soldiers prompted observers to describe addiction as “the Army disease” (Hentoff, 1965). References Hentoff N. The treatment of patients – I. The New Yorker 1965;June 26:32-77.