Podcast Summary – New Books Network Episode: Jonathan S. Jones, "Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America's First Opioid Crisis"
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Jonathan S. Jones
Date: December 2, 2025
Book: Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America's First Opioid Crisis (UNC Press, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Miranda Melcher interviews historian Dr. Jonathan S. Jones about his groundbreaking book Opium Slavery, which uncovers the little-known story of how the American Civil War and its aftermath sparked the nation’s first opioid epidemic among veterans. The conversation explores the deeply intertwined histories of war, medicine, addiction, and public perception, revealing the previously overlooked consequences of Civil War-era medical practices and tracing the roots of later American drug policies.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Origins of the Book and Personal Motivation

[03:02–05:32]

• Dr. Jones describes his background as a historian of the Civil War and medicine, noting the "natural expression of those twin scholarly interests" in this book.
• The project began with an "accidental research find" while investigating Civil War veterans’ postwar lives:

  "I kept finding... offhanded references to morphine use among people who had fought in the Civil War, but decades after the Civil War."
  (Jones, 03:55)

• The rising opioid crisis in contemporary America, featured in media, prompted him to revisit the history.

2. Opium in America Before the Civil War

[05:58–09:02]

• Opium and its derivatives (morphine, laudanum) had "hundreds of years" of medical usage in America.
• Pre-war, opioids were considered a "divine gift," with opium poppies grown in home gardens and used as remedies for over 150 different ailments.

• "Opioids, especially opium and laudanum, were common household drugs... I stopped counting at 150 [remedies]."
  (Jones, 05:58)

Cultural Perceptions of Opium Before the War

• Opioid addiction was recognized but seen more as a "character flaw" than a medical disorder. Termed in moral rather than medical language.
• Even America’s founders addressed opium addiction:

  "Dr. Benjamin Rush... wrote about and even treated cases of opioid addiction himself, including among the first families of Virginia such as the Washingtons."
  (Jones, 09:02)

3. Civil War, Medicine, and Addiction

[12:21–16:22]

• The most common Civil War use of opioids was not as a painkiller, but as an anti-diarrheal, treating chronic issues like dysentery.
• Opioid addiction among veterans often began during the war and continued for decades:

  "For many of the folks that I write about in the book, it began during the Civil War... 50 years later... described how his addiction traced all the way back to 1864."
  (Jones, 13:55)

• Veterans also self-medicated for lingering pain, PTSD (then unrecognized), and gastrointestinal issues after returning home.

4. Recognition and Framing of the Addiction Problem

[18:49–20:19]

• The public and medical establishment quickly linked the war to the rise in opioid addiction.

  "There was an obvious link to many observers between the war and surging rates of addiction."
  (Jones, 18:49)

• By the early 1870s, surveys recorded significant opioid dependence among veterans.

5. Addiction, Morality, and Welfare

[20:44–23:20]

• Societal stigma: Opioid users, especially male veterans, were viewed as "unmanly men, immoral, intemperate."
• Material impact: Veterans addicted to opium were often denied pensions and benefits, exacerbating poverty and isolation.

  "If a person was known to be addicted to opium, they were unable to gain access to their veterans benefits..."
  (Jones, 20:44)

6. Methods of Dealing with Addiction

[23:45–27:54]

• Veterans hid addiction, fearing social and economic repercussions.
  • Attempted "cold turkey" quitting—almost always failed due to painful withdrawals.
  • Bought unregulated "patent medicines" promising cures:

    "...they often secretly contained morphine."
    (Jones, 23:45)

• Veterans could be institutionalized in asylums, as addiction was sometimes viewed as "insanity," not criminality.

7. Shifts in Medical Practice and Culture

[28:13–31:29]

• Some physicians became sympathetic, realizing medical practices contributed to the crisis:

  "Doctors kind of had a panic. They were like, oh, my gosh, we've precipitated this addiction crisis..."
  (Jones, 28:13)

• This spurred a major reduction in opioid prescriptions in the 1880s-1890s, and the search for 'safer' alternatives, like cocaine—which proved equally problematic.
• The term "opium slavery" was widely used by veterans to describe addiction, drawing on contemporary metaphors of enslavement.

8. Political and Societal Legacies

[31:56–33:45]

• Treatment of addicted veterans influenced later drug policies, prefiguring the Progressive-era "war on drugs":

  "...the impulse to punish addicted people was really something that was kind of honed and practiced on Civil War veterans."
  (Jones, 31:56)

• Congressional debates in the early 20th century referenced Civil War veterans while criminalizing narcotics.

9. Surprising Findings and Continuing Influence

[33:45–36:01]

• Cultural stereotypes and metaphors (like "opium slavery") originated before the war and lived on in the discourse about addiction.
• Jones found it striking that the slavery metaphor outlasted actual chattel slavery as a central description of addiction in American culture.
• Even today, Americans use 'enslaved' imagery to describe dependence on opioids.

10. Current and Future Research Projects

[36:19–38:30]

• Next book: Great American Frauds—on medical frauds in the Civil War era.
• Side project: The history of Civil War–themed video games and their representations of conflict and memory.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the roots of opioid use:

  "Opioids...were tremendously important medical drugs. Kind of like the first line of defense for ailments ranging from coughing to insomnia to pain..."
  (Jones, 05:58)

• On addiction after war:

  "He described how his addiction traced all the way back to 1864. He had been addicted for decades at that point..."
  (Jones, 13:55)

• On stigma:

  "Veterans also felt that they were in a bind. Like, they couldn't tell anybody that they were addicted for fear of repercussions, but they also didn't want to...continue consuming opium..."
  (Jones, 23:45)

• On veterans’ coping strategies:

  "They tried, many of them, really desperately and in some ways that we could see as kind of shady, to get away from addiction, to stop using opioids."
  (Jones, 23:45)

• On the metaphor of 'opium slavery':

  "That's where the title of the book, which is called Opium Slavery, comes from. That was the most common way that veterans described their addiction. They said that they were enslaved to opium."
  (Jones, 31:29)

• On historical connections:

  "...the impulse to punish addicted people was really something that was kind of honed and practiced on Civil War veterans."
  (Jones, 31:56)

• Contemporary relevance:

  "I was just reading a news piece the other day where an opioid user described themselves as enslaved to modern opioids..."
  (Jones, 36:01)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Book Origins & Author Background: 03:02–05:32
• Opium Pre–Civil War (medical and societal context): 05:58–09:02
• Civil War Use of Opioids & Early Addiction Cases: 12:21–16:22
• Recognition and Framing of Addiction: 18:49–20:19
• Stigma, Welfare, and Veterans: 20:44–23:20
• Coping Strategies & 'Patent Medicines': 23:45–27:54
• Shifts in Medical Practice: 28:13–31:29
• War on Drugs Legacy: 31:56–33:45
• Surprises in Research & Legacy of Metaphors: 33:45–36:01
• Future Research Projects: 36:19–38:30

Conclusion

Dr. Jonathan S. Jones’s research in Opium Slavery brings to light how the American Civil War catalyzed the nation’s first opioid crisis and shaped subsequent attitudes, policies, and medical strategies around addiction. The conversation reveals the enduring cultural metaphors, tragic legacies, and policy precedents set by the post-war treatment of addicted veterans—showing how history still echoes in America’s ongoing struggles with opioids.
A must-listen for those interested in medical history, Civil War studies, or the historical roots of today’s drug crisis.