Barbiturates are sedatives, which doctors commonly prescribe to induce sleep. There are some twenty-six types of them. Practically all barbiturates are produced by legitimate pharmaceutical houses, but a large part of the supply is diverted into illegal channels. On the streets, the pills are called “downers” or “reds.” So great has the problem become with them that authorities have called 1972 “the year of the downer.”

Addiction sometimes results when these drugs are regularly relied upon to get to sleep. Many other persons abuse them simply for “kicks,” and become addicted. About one million persons in the United States are barbiturate addicts. An addict is one who needs drugs to avoid withdrawal pains. Sudden withdrawal can be so severe for a barbiturate addict that it can kill him. Also, over 3,000 persons in the United States each year die from overdoses of barbiturates!

For example, over 525 tons of barbiturates alone are produced annually in the United States. The American public consumes most of this tonnage on doctors’ prescriptions.