Helena Barop

Helena Barop is a German historian and author.

Barop studied history and philosophy at University of Freiburg. Her Doctorate thesis (Ph.D.) was on American drug history. She worked as an author, ghostwriter, editor and director.^[1]

Barop researched how medicines became drugs, and drugs became illegal drugs. She argues that the "drug problem" is a US invention that has been exported to much of the world. It combines drug policy with racist prejudices and the targeted criminalization of certain substances. She advocates seeing the current drug policy uncertainty as an opportunity.^[2]

Awards[edit]

Her Ph.D. thesis was awarded with Deutschen Studienpreis 2021, 2. price in the section Humanities and Cultural Studies.

Books[edit]

• 2023: Der große Rausch. Warum Drogen kriminalisiert werden. Eine globale Geschichte vom 19. Jahrhundert bis heute. The big rush. Why drugs are criminalized. A global history from the 19th century to today.
• 2021: Mohnblumenkriege. Die globale Drogenpolitik der USA 1950-1979. Poppy Wars. The global drug policy of the USA 1950-1979.

References[edit]