• PugJesus@piefed.socialOPM
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    2 days ago

    Explanation: The US has waged a ‘war against drugs’ since the 1960s, a crackdown against recreational drug use by its own population. It’s used predominantly as an excuse for conservative institutions to harass and imprison racial minorities in the US.

    The British Empire, on the other hand, waged two wars against China in the 1800s over the right to sell opium in China when China tried to ban the opium trade. World’s trashiest world empire confirmed!

    The Nazis, especially during the open phases of their invasions of Poland, France, and the Soviet Union, issued a large number of methamphetamine pills to their troops to let them fight for days without sleep or rest.

    • TheFrirish@tarte.nuage-libre.fr
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      1 day ago

      If I am not mistaken the British were heavy on drug use as well during WWII. I cannot remember the drug they were using but apparently at El-Alamein they suffered 80% Casualty rates because the men kept pushing on because it completely hindered their judgement for danger.

      • PugJesus@piefed.socialOPM
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        1 day ago

        Yeah, the usage in the Allies was largely amphetamines, usually as “go-pills” for fighter pilots, for air crew on long-distance flights, and for sentries, but during El-Alamein, tankers were issued double the dosage normally issued to pilots for alertness. The Nazis produced about as many methamphetamine tablets in the first year of the war as the Brits did amphetamine tablets through all six years.

        One of the big things with amphetamines in general is that it reduces the sensation of physical fatigue more than it reduces the effects. So you can keep going in terms of motivation like nothing is wrong, even as your ACTUAL performance degrades. You feel almost perfectly fine, but your motor skills and situational awareness end up in the trash.

        Obviously, this is not fantastic for judging whether you’re alert enough to be tangling with enemy armor after an already-long day of fighting.

    • PugJesus@piefed.socialOPM
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      1 day ago

      That’s a… funny issue to address, and honestly I don’t know that I could do it justice with my limited knowledge of the subject.

      Officially we were neutral.