Around 1860: Efforts to regulate the sale of pharmaceuticals began, and laws were introduced on a state - to - state basis that created penalties for mislabeling drugs, adulterating them with undisclosed narcotics, and improper sale of those considered "poisons ''. Poison laws generally either required labels on the packaging indicating the harmful effects of the drugs or prohibited sale outside of licensed pharmacies and without a doctor 's prescription. Prominent pharmaceutical societies at the time supported the listing of cannabis as a poison.
when was the first legislation to control the distribution and use of narcotics passed
Around 1860