Absinthe is now perfectly legal in many countries around the world but why were Absinthe and Absithe kits banned at all?
Why French Government banned Absinthe?
France is not the home of Absinthe but Absinthe was actually created by Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland at the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century and early 20th century Absinthe became very popular, a time known as La Belle Epoque a golden age before the start of the First World War. It is a herbal alcoholic beverage flavored with wormwood, aniseed, fennel and sometimes other herbs such as lemon balm, hyssop and mint.
Many great writers and artists claimed that Absinthe gave them inspiration. Personalities those who appreciated Absinthe included bigwigs like Oscar Wilde and Van Gogh.
Absinthe or the Green Fairy (La fee verte) became even more popular than fermented types of beverages such as beer and cider and upset wine producers by replacing wine as the most popular alcoholic drink . Doctors and prohibitionists claimed that Absinthe was as bad as cannabis, that it was psychoactive and caused convulsions, hallucinations, insanity, brain damage and death and thus Absinthe’s popularity became blamed for France’s growing alcoholism problem. It was also associated with loose morals creeping in the French society.
After the heinous murder of a whole family by a known Absinthe drinker, prohibitionists convinced the government that Absinthe was a danger. Absinthe received a banned in France in 1915 and in many other countries in the early 1900s.
Absinthe substitutes and Absinthe styles of drinks such as Pernod Pastis and Ricards were developed to market to those missing the taste of Absinthe.
Thujone
Thujone is a monoterpene a key ingredient in Absinthe, and it was this chemical that was blamed for the dangerous effects of Absinthe. It was commonly Considered similar to THC of cannabis.
Thujone is shows toxicity however does affect the GABA receptors of the brain but only when consumed in LARGE quantities. It was wrongly estimated that pre ban Absinthe had 350mg of thujone per liter, but this has now been proved false. Tests on vintage bottles of Absinthe have shown that it actually only contained up to 6mg and this quantity is insufficient to give any psychedelic or harmful effects.
Such tests and other research, articles and studies have shown that Absinthe is just as safe as any other drink with a high alcohol content.
In the EU and in the United States Thujone content is controlled. EU law will only allow beverages labeled “bitters” to contain up to 35mg per kg and alcoholic beverages with an ABV (alcohol by volume) over 25% to contain up to 10mg per kg of thujone.
US law will allow up to 10 parts per million of thujone in beverages, these beverages are considered to be “thujone free”.
So, if Absinthe is that safe then why did doctors say it was dangerous and why was Absinthe banned? The Exact Reasons :-
– Mass hysteria – Absinthe was linked to drugs like – cocaine and heroin.
– Wine producers apprehensive about the the fall in popularity of wine.
– Non standardised testing and medical research.
Courtesans and Bohemian culture of Montmartre links to the Absinthe.
– Prohibitionists looking for lame and unauthenticated excuses to ban alcoholic beverages.
After all Why Did Government ban Absinthe? A combination of politics, lies, myths and misunderstandings was Behind it.
