Book Review: 'Blitzed'

I'm wrapping up a book on Germany prior to WW II, and drug use.  Title: 'Blitzed'.  By Norman Ohler.

It's newly published, and I have to admit that it's a fairly interesting book.

Rauschgiftbekampfung (War on drugs) is term used early on in this book....which discusses in length this period of 1930 to 1940, and the effort to control heavy drug use in Germany.  The Weimar Republic folks started the effort, but it continued on via the Nazi years as well.

For those who aren't aware....after WW I, German scientists got heavily into drug analysis and development.  Meth came out of this effort, and became a drug accessed by a large portion of German society. 

So what's interesting out of 'Blitzed', is that you come to realize that heavily addicted folks were eventually identified, and sent off to clean-up or die situation.  Those who couldn't clean up their drug habits, were eventually landed in the extermination camps. 

Drug use in the 1920s?  It would appear, based on Ohler's writing, that major problems existed in metropolitan cities (particularly Berlin) with serious drugs.  I might go and even suggest that Brownshirt thug activity might have been affected a great deal, and the drugs affected people enough to take bold actions that they'd typically never conduct. 

Anyway, if you have an interest in German history....I strongly recommend Ohler's book.  Easily read in a week, and chats at length on Hitler's own personal drug use.