Two kinds of people visit the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum and Visitors Center in Northern Virginia: those who could pass a DEA background check, and those who could not and become increasingly paranoid that they are about to be unmasked and arrested, perhaps by the gift shop cashier. The small, free museum is tucked into the lobby of the agency’s headquarters, the Washington Post reports. “Who says ‘grass’ anymore?” asked a 20-something guy holding a “Keep Off the Grass” bumper sticker adorned with a crossed-out pot leaf icon, which is available for a buck.
The museum chronicles the history of U.S. drug use, apparently as written by the world’s squarest 1950s dad, the Post says. “ ‘Hipsters’ — black and white — had little interest in the traditional American Dream, pursuing instead creativity, spontaneous pleasure, freedom and excitement,” proclaims one photo caption, as if that was a bad trade-off. A nearby caption throws subtle shade at musicians of the mid-20th century. “The jazzmen who smoked marijuana felt it improved their music. Non-users felt just the opposite.” Perhaps the most thrilling displays are the actual drugs. One case contains a smudge of opium from 1923 that was tested and still found to be psychoactive 75 years later. Another highlight is the diamond-encrusted gun of an international drug smuggler. The museum used to have more firearms on exhibit — including a Glock 17 pistol, a MAC 11 machine gun and a Beretta M9 — but they’ve been removed from display for “safety reasons,” said a museum guard.