How can studying the past help us to understand drugs and their place in Canada today, from the idea of Dry January to the legalization of cannabis to the ongoing toxic drug crisis and British Columbia’s three-year partial decriminalization of some illicit drugs? This question drives HIST 420, which examines the history of drugs in Canada since 1867. Focusing on a wide range of substances – alcohol, amphetamine, cannabis, LSD, opiates, oral contraception, tobacco, and more! – we will explore the social, cultural, political, and legal histories of such drugs, the people who have used them, and their changing meanings, regulation, and (de)criminalization over time in northern North America. Key themes will include the relationship between ideas about drugs, identity, the law, and policing; changing understandings of use, treatment, and addiction; and tensions between personal experiences, social meanings, popular culture, and medical, legal, and political approaches to different drugs. In addition to lectures, discussions, and assignments, the course places a particular emphasis on learning through film, including drama, comedy, documentary, media coverage, and raw historical footage.