Drugs have taught an entire generation of American kids the metric system

Drugs have taught an entire generation of American kids the metric system

In his characteristic satirical style, P.J. O'Rourke once famously quipped, "Drugs have taught an entire generation of American kids the metric system." This statement, while humorous on the surface, actually touches on a deeper truth about the impact of drug culture on American society.

The metric system, with its base-10 units of measurement, has long been a source of confusion and frustration for many Americans who are more accustomed to the imperial system. However, the use of drugs, particularly those that are measured in metric units such as grams or milligrams, has inadvertently familiarized a generation of young people with this foreign system of measurement.

The prevalence of drug use among American youth in the 1960s and 1970s, during the height of the counterculture movement, introduced many young people to the metric system in a way that traditional education never could. Whether it was measuring out doses of LSD in micrograms or weighing out marijuana in grams, drug culture forced young people to become familiar with metric units as a matter of practical necessity.

While O'Rourke's statement may be tongue-in-cheek, it underscores the unintended consequences of drug use on American society. The normalization of drug culture in the 1960s and 1970s not only introduced young people to the metric system but also had far-reaching social and political implications.

The War on Drugs, initiated in the 1970s as a response to the perceived threat of drug use, has had a lasting impact on American society, leading to mass incarceration, racial disparities in drug enforcement, and the erosion of civil liberties. The metric system, which was once a symbol of countercultural rebellion, has now become a reminder of the complex and often destructive relationship between drugs and society.